Page 3835 - Week 12 - Thursday, 24 October 2013

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Members interjecting—

MADAM SPEAKER: Order, members!

Mr Doszpot interjecting—

MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Doszpot, sit down. The question of Minister Burch by Mr Smyth and the supplementary questions are concluded. I do not expect members to get up and continue the discussion. When I call you to order, I expect you to be called to order.

Mr Doszpot: I apologise.

Women—Women’s Information and Referral Centre

MR DOSZPOT: My question is to the Minister for Women. Minister, last week you announced the closure of the Women’s Information and Referral Centre. When did the government make this decision? Was it part of the 2013-14 budget process?

MS BURCH: I thank Mr Doszpot for his question. It has been something under consideration for some time. Certainly there were a number of factors in that decision. I made it. I have announced it. We have put notice in to terminate the lease there and we will very clearly work, as I responded to Mrs Jones, with the women’s sector about what the program will look like from here on.

If I may just touch on an earlier question from Mrs Jones or Ms Lawder about the development of a plan, what is on for women, even at this point, would not have been fully constructed and delivered at this point in a calendar year, anyway. I just provide that little extra bit of information.

MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Doszpot.

MR DOSZPOT: Ms Burch, why isn’t the decision—I am not quite sure I understand when you made the decision—to close the WiRC listed on the cabinet summaries for September or October?

MS BURCH: Not every decision taken by a minister is held and agreed to within cabinet. Surprisingly for you, Mr Doszpot, ministers do make decisions across their portfolio areas, probably many times in a week.

MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mrs Jones.

MRS JONES: Minister, was the main rationale for this decision to meet savings targets set out for the department as part of the 2013-14 budget or was there another reason?

MS BURCH: I thank Mrs Jones for her question. There will be savings in it; there is no doubt about that. We are close to between $70,000 and $80,000 just on the


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