Page 576 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 9 March 2011
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
We asked questions about the list of measures that were being taken. We asked about the drug testing, and it turns out that that was not working. What I have asked for in my motion is for the minister to come back by close of business today and tell us whether it was actually working or not. Are those measures working as he said they were in his speech in September? Otherwise, that would mean that they are misleading on other things, and we simply do not know. Let me assure you that we will get to the bottom of it. If he does not want to uncover the truth himself, we will. If he does not come back by the end of business today to say, “No, we got it wrong about the RFID; we got it wrong about this and that as well,” then he will have no excuse.
Mr Stanhope also said in his speech on the motion in September—no doubt he will say it about this one as well—that it was a denial of reality, it was a denial of the facts, it was not constructive and it was not insightful. Well, it turns out that it was very insightful. It is just as well that the opposition raises these motions, and it is just as well that the opposition asks the hard questions. Let us see what Simon Corbell admitted on 2CC yesterday. He admitted that the only reason he actually found out about this intolerable, and what he described as a fundamental, breakdown was because of the questions being asked by the opposition. He admitted that to Mike Welsh on 2CC yesterday.
The question I have is: if we knew what question to ask to uncover what was actually going on at the jail, why did the minister not ask those questions? We knew to ask them. He has admitted that the only reason he found out was that the opposition was doing its job. You will hear from this mob opposite: “It’s just opposition for opposition’s sake. Why are you doing this? It’s not constructive,” and so on. But the Greens were misled. They thought that the drug testing was going on. Ms Bresnan actually said in her speech in September that this drug testing was occurring on entry. Mr Corbell probably believed it at the time when he said it. I am sure Mr Stanhope believed it at the time, because they were not asking the right questions. Mr Corbell admitted yesterday on air that the only reason he is finding out about these things is because the opposition is giving the direction to do so.
It is quite clear that this minister has misled on a number of issues and it is quite clear he has been incompetent on the others. If we do not censure this minister for both his gross incompetence and his serial misleading of this place and the community, then we are not doing our job in this Assembly, and that is quite clear. I call upon this Assembly to censure Simon Corbell for grossly and repeatedly misleading and for his incompetence.
MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Water, Minister for Energy and Minister for Police and Emergency Services) (11.38): Another day, another censure motion from the Liberal Party. They have not got any new ideas when it comes to debate in this place or to advance the best interests of the people of Canberra, but—
Opposition members interjecting—
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Stop the clock. Minister Corbell, resume your seat for a second, please. Members opposite, I am only going to say this once: the minister
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video