Page 496 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 28 June 1989
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approach might be used in dealing with problems which confront these very worthy organisations.
QUESTION TIME
MR KAINE (Leader of the Opposition), by leave: Mr Speaker, I have been increasingly concerned over the last few meetings of this Assembly by the way the institution is developing in terms of its approach to question time. I think that the purpose and the intent of the standing orders dealing with question time are quite clear.
It is a time when members of the Assembly can ask Ministers about matters that are involved in their portfolios. I submit that in terms of the standing order a member can expect a reasonable answer. There is no provision in the standing orders for a Minister to give a monosyllabic answer to a question nor is there a question, of course, of making lengthy responses which turn out to be policy speeches. I refer to standing order 118, which simply states:
The answer to a question without notice shall... be concise and confined to the subject matter of the question...
I submit to you, Mr Speaker, that many times already we have had instances where Ministers have not answered or, even in some cases, attempted to answer the questions. The whole concept of question time is being set aside. I think it is most undesirable. We can learn many things from the parliament across the lake; some of them are good, some of them are bad. The way that question time is treated across there is one thing, and I think that in many cases the way the questions are treated is quite reprehensible.
I would have hoped that in this new parliament we could have taken a different approach, that all of us present could have seen question time for what it is - an opportunity to ask questions and get straightforward, simple, concise answers, with no beating around the bush; no prevarication; a simple answer to a simple question. Comments from Ministers making statements about long questions or short questions are unreasonable.
The standing orders are quite specific about how questions are to be answered. I think also, with due respect, Mr Speaker, that if a member complains about the form of an answer and is told that he can put his question in writing if he wants a detailed answer, it is inappropriate and incorrect.
We are entitled to ask questions; we are entitled to a reasonable response. I really want to express my concern at the way things are developing, the way Ministers are in some cases responding, and to ask on behalf of the
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