Page 909 - Week 04 - Thursday, 3 May 2007
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It is an indictment of this territory’s government that they were operating in this fashion and that they are so unwilling to have the degree of scrutiny needed. I served on the estimates committee in my first year here, and will no doubt do it again at a future stage as we move through and share responsibility amongst our members—as Mr Stefaniak and Mrs Burke will this year, and as Mr Pratt and Mr Smyth did last year.
All of us, with our different experience, have found ministers who are scrambling to explain themselves. They arrive in these hearings with 30 or 40 officials. It is quite extraordinary. Ministers in charge of their portfolios seem to bring half the department in there because they are so lacking in confidence about being able to get across the portfolio. Mr Stanhope has taken everybody’s job now; he is increasingly unable to respond to issues because he knows he has not got very competent people in his ministry. He will not let Simon have a look in so he has to do all the jobs himself.
The performance of this government is becoming legendary. Boy, wasn’t the first estimates committee that I saw when I came into this place legendary? Mr Seselja and I went onto that committee. Panic broke out. “Here are a couple of new Turks; we have to make sure they do not get a look in.” Ms MacDonald took charge. Ms MacDonald was reduced to distress. She was reduced to distress because of the way Mr Hargreaves treated her. He treated her with loathing and contempt. We had adjournments because of the abusive conduct that went on in those hearings, the likes of which I have not seen before or since in any aspect of this Assembly’s deliberations.
Even when they take control of the chair, the system breaks down. They take control of the chair to try and muzzle our people. Mr Stefaniak could not get a look in. Mr Pratt, I know, could not get a look in as a visiting member. Even when they had all these things going, the system broke down because they could not even manage their own people. They have a rabble across the other side. The people of Canberra are increasingly becoming aware of the limitations of this territory government.
This government is fearful of accountability. It is not committed to good principles of governance. It is in the position of working for survival and hoping it can hang on like grim death. It is fearful about next time around. Dr Foskey has gone, but they are hoping that Dr Foskey might be the key to their survival. Members opposite are worried. They know they are in difficulties. They take any opportunity to shut down the scrutiny that is expected by the people of Canberra. They take any opportunity to abandon the principles that are part of this legislature and abandon long-held practice. Practice that has applied since self-government is gradually going out the door. A government should not attempt to control the chair of committees.
This is a sad reflection on the way in which things are going in this legislature. I implore those opposite to reflect on the foolishness of the approach they are taking. Ultimately it will work to the advantage of opposition members as the electorate becomes aware of it, but it is a very bad day for the democratic process when we are moving increasingly to the shutdown approach. The government’s approach is reflected in the way in which it is grabbing the chair. It is reflected in the cosy deal that poor Dr Foskey nearly got suckered into by the leader in the house in the first year. That all fell apart. The 30 pieces of silver were offered. It was then reflected in
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