Page 2713 - Week 08 - Thursday, 24 August 2006
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Mr Hargreaves: Mrs Temporary Deputy Speaker!
MR SMYTH: Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, it is interesting that we have got to this level, which is indicative of the behaviour of Mr Hargreaves during the estimates process. That sort of childish silliness led him, with very accurate telling from Mr Pratt, to be in the trouble that he was in, having to be disciplined for his behaviour.
Mr Hargreaves started his day with the estimates committee, oddly enough, by calling me silly. For a man who had just had to resign from the ministry because of his indiscretions, I think the silliest person in the room on that day was, in fact, the Minister for Territory and Municipal Services. That was probably the high point of his visit to the estimates committee. Despite the Chief Minister’s statement that his government would be more honest, more open and more accountable, the least honest, least open and least accountable person appearing before the estimates committee was, of course, Mr Hargreaves. His behaviour has been widely reported on in both the committee’s report and the dissenting report.
I want to bring to the attention of the Assembly something that happened when I asked a question of Mr Wallace, representing ACTION. I said:
Mr Wallace, do you have anything to say about that matter?”
Mr Hargreaves jumped in and said:
I will answer the question. Mr Wallace does not have anything to add.
One, it was rude to do that. Two, it says that the senior official from ACTION could not answer the question. Three, it says that the senior official from ACTION did not know the answer. If he did not know and he could not answer the questions, why is he running ACTION? The Hansard reads:
Mr Hargreaves: I will answer the question. Mr Wallace does not have anything to add.
MR SMYTH: Is the minister just going to shut down debate?
Mr Hargreaves: You have it in one, Mr Smyth.
MR SMYTH: The minister is avoiding public scrutiny yet again.
Mr Hargreaves: No, I am not, Mr Smyth.
To say, “Yes, I am shutting it down. No, I am not avoiding scrutiny” is illogical in the extreme, but that is just a glimpse of the standard behaviour of John Hargreaves at the recent estimates committee. It is about that attitude, the attitude over staffing and the attitude to certain questions asked of him about units transferring to his department. He would say, “I cannot answer that. I have not been briefed.” Who is going to answer them? Is it the minister who has relinquished the units? That minister would not want to answer them and the minister who was about to receive them would not or could not answer them, saying, “I’m getting briefed on that next week.”
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