Page 9 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 9 February 2016
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The final issue is the loss of confidence that we have had in Ms Burch in this place, the long list of issues that have come before us. I will not reiterate them. This is not an opportunity to do this, and I am not here to reiterate those issues, other than to say that they did lead to a significant loss of confidence by us and also by members of the community. The Chief Police Officer has had to go over her head to the Chief Minister. The Australian Education Union lost confidence in Ms Burch. Members of the community, members of the clubs sector—a range of community stakeholders—have expressed their concern. If the Chief Minister and his colleagues do not have confidence in Ms Burch to be a minister, and that is evident looking at this frontbench today, why is it that this Assembly, given all the unresolved matters, should have confidence to put her in a position where she presides over a committee?
I think my argument is reasonable. I think that we need to have these matters resolved. I think we need to understand what the serious unprecedented other issues are before we can make an informed decision. And this goes to what sort of place we expect this Assembly to be. There will always be a jostle; there will always be a debate; there will always be cut and thrust in politics. We accept that. That is the nature of Westminster democracy. But as parliamentarians, we have a standard to uphold. We have community expectations to meet. And we have to decide here and now what sort of parliament we expect to be, what sorts of standards we are going to accept.
What the opposition is saying is that when these matters, as they are, are ongoing and unresolved, it is inappropriate. Just as Jon Stanhope iterated, just as the ministerial code of conduct makes clear, it would be inappropriate to have Ms Burch put into a position of authority in the Assembly.
I have circulated an amendment to that effect. We need to make sure that we uphold the standards of the Assembly. I ask that when committees meet, when positions are resolved, you acknowledge the issues at play. There are Labor members that can be committee chairs and deputies. This is not about that. I have served, sat on committees, with Dr Bourke, with Ms Porter, with others in this room, and they have had my respect. They have had my respect in those positions, and they have had the community’s respect. Let us uphold that respect. Let us uphold that dignity. Let us uphold the standards of this place.
I move the amendment circulated in my name:
Add the following:
(1) That this Assembly notes that:
(a) a police investigation into allegations regarding Ms Burch’s former chief of staff is ongoing;
(b) on 18 December 2015, the Deputy Chief Minister advised the ABC of a further matter that went beyond the police investigation. Mr Corbell stated that:
(i) “What occurred over the last couple of days was quite unprecedented.”;
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