Page 1028 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 30 March 2011
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She finishes by saying: “I don’t know anymore. I’m a bit doubtful about the whole process.” Why? Because the process has been corrupted. I interjected, “Spin,” and Mr Corbell said, “No, no; it’s not spin.” Let us go back to 2003. Mr Corbell found himself in enormous trouble when, with respect to his own department, ACT Health, during budget estimates 2003—you will remember this document, Mr Hargreaves—people were told, and it actually says, “Take on notice what you can’t or don’t want to answer.” This is the form of this government: “Don’t answer the question.”
You have to go back to this: why do we have the current review at all? And the reason is that Mrs Dunne moved a motion to set up an inquiry. It is the Canberra Liberals that have been the only party concerned, right from the start, about getting to the bottom of this. And we are now concerned that we will not get to the bottom of this because of the corruption of the process and the unethical, undue, unnecessary influence that is being brought to bear on people.
Trish said it herself: “I’m not confident that adults and workers will freely contribute to that review.” We heard from Dave: “Staff were discouraged to attend review meetings.” And we had this from the minutes: “We will work out a strategy to assist you in answering your questions.” I note that the minister tabled the letter but there was an attachment. Attachment A is a copy of the agenda and minutes of the meeting. Where is the attachment, minister? Why didn’t we get the full document that you were given instead of just the covering letter?
Mr Corbell: The truth is out there, Brendan. The truth is out there.
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Mr Hargreaves): Order!
MR SMYTH: Simon, do you have a problem?
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Mr Smyth, I do not need any help, thank you.
MR SMYTH: The ministerial code of conduct says:
Being a Minister demands the highest standards of probity, accountability, honesty, integrity and diligence in the exercise of their public duties and functions.
You have to ask the question: have we received that from Minister Burch in regard to this? The answer simply is that no, we have not, because when Ms Burch had these issues first brought to her attention by Trish McEwan, she was told to go somewhere else. “Don’t talk to me. I don’t want to know.” Then we have the extraordinary account of Ms Burch covering her ears, turning away from the meeting and going, “La, la, la.” It is something that she denies, but members at that meeting, people who were there, say, “This is what happened.”
This minister cannot be believed. Because this minister is in charge of this area and because this minister continues to behave in the way that she is behaving, I do not
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