Page 1783 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 18 October 1989
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MR STEFANIAK (11.23): I start out by saying that this particular issue has probably caused me more concern individually than any other that has come before the Assembly, mainly because like Mrs Grassby - - -
Mr Stevenson: Even move-on powers?
MR STEFANIAK: No, that was no problem at all, Dennis, and I will come to that shortly. Like Mrs Grassby - I don't know whether I am smarter than the average bear; I am probably as big as some bears - I am no expert, and on matters like this one I have to rely on experts.
A number of figures have been bandied about. A lot of those figures have been queried by one side or the other, depending on whom you believe. This caused me concern because, unlike a lot of issues that come before this Assembly where I have a fixed view, such as move-on powers, and where I am convinced one way or the other of the rightness or wrongness of it, this is the sort of issue where I think you do have to listen to experts and you have to look at a lot of evidence before you can really make up your mind one way or the other.
It is like a jury in court, which often has to look at detailed, scientific evidence and bring its everyday, commonsense approach to sifting through evidence and making a decision but it has to look at that evidence and it has to study that in detail. That is something, I think, that this Assembly has to do. This committee has to do that because there certainly is a lot of evidence that will be put before this committee for both sides.
I have looked at the evidence. I will tell you all, I felt like walking out of this Assembly and abstaining when we had the debate because I simply did not really know. I was impressed by Mr Prowse's figures from Brisbane. Since then, there seem to be about three different areas which query even those.
However, it has caused me great concern and I can quite safely say that we all made errors that day and I, personally, probably made several errors. I have thought a lot about the matter - thought long and hard about it - and I certainly feel that this matter should be looked at and should have gone to a committee from day one. In that respect, the Government certainly was correct.
I might say, though, that there were a number of errors made and, indeed, there still appear to be a few problems with this Bill which perhaps the Government should be aware of as well. Perhaps these will not even be dealt with today. They amount to some changes, which I think Mr Collaery picked up, which perhaps should have been picked up and brought to the Assembly's attention by the Government. Be that as it may, errors were made on this Bill, and I am sure the Assembly will be very wary to ensure that they are not made again.
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