Page 1980 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 15 May 2013
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significantly long period of time. Probably the only one in respect of whom there is any rationale not to appoint as a minister from the perspective of time served is Ms Berry.
I really am confounded by what is happening here. Why is the Chief Minister so resistant to appoint one of her own backbench to the ministry? This provides the opportunity for her to do so. This provides an opportunity for the Chief Minister to increase the size of her ministry to take care of some of those issues that she has raised and we agree with. This provides a logical first step and a step that would need to be taken before you can have a parallel argument that you need a larger Assembly. If you are not making the best use of resources, just as Katy Gallagher said about the courts, then it is very difficult to argue to double the number of politicians.
Madam Speaker, I look forward to debating this bill. I look forward to hearing what Katy Gallagher has got to say. I look forward to hearing from her why she has lacked any sense of urgency in appointing a sixth minister. I look forward to further debate about committees where we can make this place work effectively, where we can free up government backbenchers, and we can actually have committees doing what committees are meant to do, which is to scrutinise the government. I look forward to that debate. I commend this bill to the Assembly and I indicate that we will be debating this as a matter of urgency.
Debate (on motion by Ms Gallagher) adjourned to the next sitting.
Federal government—spending
MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (10.13): I move:
That this Assembly:
(1) notes:
(a) that the Federal Labor Government has broken countless election and previous budget promises, including, but not limited to:
(i) not to introduce a Carbon Tax;
(ii) to introduce tax cuts to offset the Carbon Tax, once it was introduced;
(iii) to increase Family Payments packages;
(iv) not increasing tax on superannuation;
(v) not to cut public servant numbers;
(vi) not to means test the Private Health Insurance rebate;
(vii) not to increase the Medicare Levy;
(viii) the pledge to have a budget surplus; and
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