Page 4 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 13 February 1990
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Representatives Practice, the key is that private senators and private members may ask questions in question time. Question time is their period of access to government in an effort to make government accountable. I would argue that Mrs Nolan, as an Executive Deputy, is now a de facto member of the Executive Government, and is no longer a bona fide private member of this Assembly. As such, she is not entitled to the privileges of question time by way of asking questions of the Executive Government. You are asked to rule this way.
Similarly, Mr Speaker, I would ask you to rule, so that we can establish the precedent right from the start, that the other Executive Deputies in this chamber, because of the fact that they are de facto members of the Executive, are also disbarred from enjoying the benefits of questioning the Government at question time.
MR SPEAKER: Thank you for the observation, Mr Whalan. I will rule that I will take this question on notice and seek legal opinion on it. However, my position at the moment is that I will allow the Executive Deputies to ask questions until I gain that ruling. I call Mrs Nolan.
Tuggeranong Swimming Complex
MRS NOLAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. My question is, in fact, to the Deputy Chief Minister in his role as Minister for Sport and Recreation. I would like to ask Mr Collaery whether he is aware of claims - in fact, by Mr Whalan - that the Alliance Government does not support proposals for a swimming complex in the Tuggeranong Town Centre. In particular I refer to comments by Mr Whalan in the Valley View of 31 January 1990:
The Alliance Government is tight-lipped over reports that its cabinet has cut back plans for the Tuggeranong Town Centre pool from its capital works programme.
I would like to ask Mr Collaery whether that statement is correct. What, in fact, is the situation?
MR COLLAERY: I am pleased to answer this question. Thanks to events in this chamber, we have had access to Mr Whalan's documentation, and that really disproves the suggestion that was made in the Valley View, and presumably emanating from the member's office, that the matter has been taken out of this year's budget. The fact is that no provision was made in Labor's 1989-90 budget. There was a global provision for forward design costing and, of course, pursuant to that global provision the department responsible - the department that my colleague Mr Duby administers - has proceeded along the lines according to the timetable set prior to our accession to government with the pursuance of, firstly, the finalisation of negotiations
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