Page 1037 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 6 May 2014

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Then I go to the substance of the standing orders. As Mr Coe well knows—it was discussed in the meeting yesterday—when there are two draft reports submitted and the committee cannot decide, which it could not, it is the chair’s draft which is then considered. Mr Coe in his explanation of his conduct before omitted that understanding. I presume that he can remember the proceedings from yesterday but chose to omit that nuance to bolster his own argument.

What happened then, Madam Speaker? Each and every paragraph was considered and Mr Coe and Mr Wall agreed to every single one of them. This is a reference on which a number of committee members provided reports. Indeed, we had a whole day of people giving evidence—from the Planning Institute of Australia, the Walter Burley Griffin Society, the ACT Heritage Council, the Weston Creek Community Council, the Woden Valley Community Council, the Griffith Narrabundah Community Association, the Inner South Community Council, the—

Mr Coe interjecting—

MADAM SPEAKER: Order, Mr Coe!

DR BOURKE: Belconnen Community Council and the National Trust of Australia. The chair’s draft report contained a number of recommendations which I believe would have assisted the government to produce a better piece of legislation, including better protection for Aboriginal heritage, better and longer consultation periods. Interestingly, Mr Coe and Mr Wall agreed to every one of these recommendations and every paragraph in the chair’s draft report, but then they chose, for political reasons, to crash the report, to vote it down.

They could have used their numbers in the committee to delete any recommendation or paragraph with which they did not agree. That would have been the way a good committee person would have worked. That is the way a person who has respect for the individuals and organisations who have taken the trouble to come to a public hearing or to send in their submissions would have acted.

That would have been respectful to their fellow committee members and respectful to the Assembly. But Mr Coe and Mr Wall chose not to behave in that way for political reasons. That is very obvious. If Mr Coe continues to behave like this, it clearly demonstrates to our community that the Canberra Liberals are simply unfit for government. I really feel sorry for Mr Hanson having to lead this mob.

MADAM SPEAKER: The question is that the paper be noted. I call Mr Wall.

MR WALL (Brindabella) (10.32): Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Members interjecting—

MADAM SPEAKER: Order, members! I would like to hear Mr Wall.


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