Page 711 - Week 02 - Thursday, 10 March 2011

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MR SPEAKER: There was some confusion in the earlier debate because Ms Hunter actually moved an amendment and Mr Corbell—

Mr Smyth: Foreshadowed.

MR SPEAKER: —foreshadowed, thank you, Mr Smyth, he was going to introduce amendments and members spoke to Mr Corbell’s amendments in the course of responding to Ms Hunter’s amendment. Technically Ms Bresnan spoke to Ms Hunter’s amendment and she is now speaking to Mr Corbell’s amendments. Ms Bresnan.

MS BRESNAN: That is my understanding. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I just want to clarify that we will not be supporting these amendments. I have already foreshadowed that I will move an amendment to Mr Smyth’s motion because I do believe it is important to specify that the committee should be chaired by a non-government member. That is why we will not be supporting the omission.

Given there has been quite a bit of leeway given to other members to speak on this, I did want to talk to Mr Hanson’s comments about Ms Hunter. I think the incident is actually referring to—

Mr Hanson: It was about Ms Hunter then, we agree.

MS BRESNAN: Mr Speaker, I have got the floor, if Mr Hanson could please be quiet. Just speaking to that, Ms Hunter was quite ill at the time and was at home and she had watched some of the streaming of the debate. So I think it is worth while making the point that that is the case. I think Mr Hanson should watch himself with those sorts of comments because they are getting completely out of hand and they are bullying. I think it is worth making that point. That was why Ms Hunter was watching the streaming.

MR HARGREAVES (Brindabella) (10.55): I would like to speak very briefly to Mr Corbell’s amendments. I find it a bit mystifying actually that Greens members here will be putting forward an amendment which says that a non-government member shall be elected chair of the committee by the committee. It is telling the committee what it should do; really it could just say, “It shall be this.” However, if we had passed the Greens’ amendment in the first place, that a standing committee be given the task of examining the budget, a government member would have chaired one of those committees. I find there is a little inconsistency in this and I am—

Mr Smyth: Shocked. I’m shocked at their inconsistency.

MR HARGREAVES: Mr Smyth is shocked, but not for the first time has he been shocked in this place. The sad part is that the estimates process is one of the most serious examination exercises this parliament can do and I really think we should treat it a little bit more seriously. The committees are, in fact, creatures of this parliament and we should leave the committees to elect their own chair. I remind people that


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