Page 849 - Week 03 - Thursday, 30 March 2006
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was given a set of procedures to follow, including, “I seek leave to make a brief statement”.
Leave granted.
MR MULCAHY: I present the following paper:
Draft speaking notes (page 2), prepared by the Secretary of the Public Accounts committee in relation to the presentation of report 5 of 2006.
I checked upstairs while I was absent and found that the guide note from the Clerk did not include that offer, but in fact that was the one I was reading from, which also contained draft notes from the committee office. So I would hope that I get an apology for the suggestion that there was something untoward about my approach. I, as I always do, operated on advice, and took the advice of the committee secretary. Maybe, because she is a relatively new person, as am I, she did not know that that was custom; but it was in the document and I followed the document.
I also take exception to the suggestion that there is something sneaky about making a dissenting comment. I am going to restrain myself from canvassing the discussion of the private committee, except to say that I was sufficiently unimpressed by the handling of it that I felt the need to address this important issue. There was nothing advantaged by saying to members of the committee that I would do this at 3 o’clock, 4 o’clock, 5 o’clock—or whenever the email was sent. We had exactly the same situation with estimates, where two members of the estimates committee elected to lodge a dissenting report. There is no requirement under the standing orders of the Assembly to clear this with the committee in advance.
The record needs to stand to show that that tirade of abuse that was just put onto the public record is yet another example of the temperament of Ms MacDonald in the context of not respecting the chair of the committee, who has in fact acted properly at all times and who has acted in accordance with the advice provided.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Senate Community Affairs References Committee
Statement by Chief Minister
MR STANHOPE (Ginninderra—Chief Minister, Attorney-General, Minister for the Environment and Minister for Arts, Heritage and Indigenous Affairs, and Acting Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development and Business, Minister for Tourism, Minister for Sport and Recreation, and Minister for Racing and Gaming) (12.10): I seek leave to make a statement concerning the Senate Community Affairs References Committee’s inquiry into children in institutional care.
Leave granted.
MR STANHOPE: I wish to take the opportunity to respond today to recommendations of the Senate Community Affairs References Committee in relation to two reports arising from its inquiry into children in institutional care. The committee investigated
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