Page 1242 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 3 April 2019
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Mr Rattenbury. We think that Mr Parton’s motion should be debated today. It is important for the opposition to have the opportunity to move motions for these discussions. Also, as I said earlier, it is a complete corruption of the process if government continually refers items to committees to prevent debate from occurring in this chamber.
Likewise the planning committee, in its self-referral, had set down a reporting date of November 2018. That has long passed. When will members of this Assembly be given the opportunity to discuss issues contained in what is a very broad inquiry into the planning system, if not today?
MS CHEYNE (Ginninderra) (10.26): I thank Mr Wall for his impassioned speech, but I think we need to inject some facts into this debate. I do not think anyone is disagreeing with the fact that DAs need attention, not least the planning and urban renewal committee, who did self-refer this—and I was on that committee at the time. And no-one is disputing the fact that it was due to report at the end of last year. However, that committee made a decision as a committee—of which Mr Parton is a part—which was presented in this place on 25 October last year, that they would report by the end of this year. That is online; it is available for anyone to see.
Mr Wall wonders what the date will be. There is the date. If Mr Parton is as passionate about this as Mr Wall would have us believe, he would be using that committee process to push that inquiry along. It can report well in advance of November 2019 if it wants to.
Mr Wall: 2018; it is overdue.
MS CHEYNE: No, the new date is November 2019. I appreciate that I am hard to hear. Mr Parton has another eight months to move this along within the committee of which he is a part, rather than bringing it into this place. I would ask that he respect the committee process.
MS LE COUTEUR (Murrumbidgee) (10.27): Firstly, I cannot table the advice that the Clerk gave me because it was verbal. I have reported the substance of it in my speech. Secondly, Mr Wall brings up some very good points which we have also discussed. One of the things that we contemplated doing, but it seemed to be too hard to do on this particular motion, was to refer to admin and procedures this issue of what happens if a committee is looking at something and a member may also, quite reasonably, wish to—
Mr Coe: It is good that we do not do that; otherwise we would not be able to talk about it now.
MS LE COUTEUR: Alistair, I am trying to make a speech. It is actually really hard—
Members interjecting—
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