Page 2026 - Week 07 - Thursday, 17 June 1993
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Rural Leases
MR LAMONT: First of all, I wish to thank the former Leader of the Opposition for exposing the current Leader of the Opposition's mistake in pursuing that matter. In fact, it was done almost as well as we could do it, Mr Kaine. My question is directed to the Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning. What steps is the Government taking to implement its rural leases policy?
MR WOOD: Madam Speaker, Mr Lamont is short and to the point. There has been some comment among the people occupying rural leases because there has been a fair period of time between the tabling of my response to the report of Mr Moore's committee and what they see as an outcome. That has been justified because there has been quite a deal of activity. We are looking at the position of withdrawal clauses. We are looking at whether we have one or two or three bands of terms for leases and some other significant matters. There have been a number of meetings with the rural lessees. We are considering the matter very carefully. We are listening attentively to what they say. I think matters are drawing to a conclusion, so that we will have a response for them next month, which was our original timetable. If it appears slow, it is because it has been very carefully examined, and, I might say, in full consultation with the rural lessees.
Child Welfare
MR CORNWELL: Madam Speaker, my question is to the Minister for Housing and Community Services, if I might use that latter term loosely. There was a story in the Canberra Times yesterday, Minister, about a 14-year-old girl who has run away from home and is now living with an adult male. The parents tried unsuccessfully to obtain help from welfare, who seemed more interested in raising and pursuing unsubstantiated questions about incest against the father than in addressing the real and current issue, namely, an under-age runaway girl living in a bedsitter with an adult unrelated male. I ask: What are you doing about both the dereliction of duty and the apparent incest bias of your welfare staff, or are they acting under orders to do nothing because the Labor Party platform here calls for the lowering of the age of sexual consent to 13 years?
MR CONNOLLY: Madam Speaker, while in America I learnt a phrase that is popular in the Texas Democratic Party. I think it was first coined by Lyndon Baines Johnson. It is, "From the gutter to you ain't up". That sort of a question really is something that the Liberal Party might contemplate. Unlike you people, we do not like engaging in revealing private information in this chamber - like revealing wages sheets. The claim in the Canberra Times that welfare did not intervene or did nothing in that case is totally wrong. The facts as presented by Mr Cornwell are very wrong. However, I am not, in this place, going to outline the individual family circumstances surrounding that girl and the father and the allegations of incest. It would be most inappropriate for me to do that in this place. However, I am prepared to offer Mr Cornwell a briefing on that from my departmental officers outside of this place.
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