Page 3551 - Week 12 - Thursday, 20 September 1990
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School Closures - Inquiry
MR WOOD: Mr Speaker, I direct a question to the Minister for Education. Mr Humphries, what will be the cost of the Hudson inquiry into school closures - and that includes secretarial support as well as his fee? I have heard estimates varying between $10,000 and $40,000. What is the correct figure?
MR HUMPHRIES: I thank Mr Wood for his question. In fact, I suspect that the rumours that Mr Wood has heard are, for a change, probably fairly accurate. I would expect the cost to be somewhere in that range - - -
Mr Wood: I do not work on rumours; I stick to the hard facts.
MR HUMPHRIES: That remains to be seen. However, I can advise the Assembly that the question of Mr Hudson's fee for his services and the amounts needed to be paid to other people for ancillary services to this inquiry will have to be negotiated. I met Mr Hudson for the first time only today, and I understand he is in discussions this afternoon on what resources he will require for that inquiry. I can assure the Assembly that we will be doing our best to ensure that the resources are adequate. If necessary, we will pay for those resources as appropriate, but they will be contained within reasonable limits. The figure will be a reasonable one in the circumstances and will produce a desirable kind of process for resolving these issues.
Traffic Fines
MRS GRASSBY: My question is addressed to Mr Duby. I refer to the Bill which the Minister introduced into the Assembly this morning, which has the effect of doubling traffic fines. I ask the Minister: Is it correct that the Government has taken no action to adjust the fine default rate in line with the new penalties, which means, in effect, that a traffic offender who is unable to pay a fine will now have to spend twice as long in gaol and twice as long as an offender in New South Wales?
Mr Humphries: Are you going to oppose the Bill?
MR DUBY: I think that might be the relevant question that needs to be asked of Mrs Grassby: Will the Opposition oppose the Bill? Of course, the answer to that will be no. That Bill that I introduced this morning, Mrs Grassby, as you are well aware, upgraded penalties for traffic infringement notices - things along the lines of speeding, refusing to wear a seat belt and things like that - and those penalties have not been upgraded since 1983. On average, the fines have risen only 60 per cent, so I think they are quite commensurate with the penalties that were there. In relation to the question of penalties for people
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