Grievance Debate

Government Accountability

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:14): The government and, in particular, the Premier have heralded this government as one which is to be open and transparent. There had been a commitment by this government, confirmed again late last year, that they would publish ministerial credit card statements and information about members of parliament. This was going to be a new era of open, transparent, accountable government. What has happened since that time?

Just today, we have had the further chapter in a shameful part of the government's mismanagement of the Clovelly Park water contamination issue. This groundwater contamination has been known to this government for years, and yet again today we hear all the excuses and all of the deflections of answers to any reasonable questions about what the government did, what they have failed to do and why they have decided that it is necessary to have precautionary measures to deal with those people who are living in parts of Clovelly Park that are 'not dangerous'. We are just taking precautionary measures, but we are going to evict them from their houses.

That is a completely unacceptable response the parliament has received. The public, the people of Clovelly Park and now those in nearby areas need to have that information. It is not acceptable that the government, when caught out, then simply hide behind ministerial statements that, in this case, leave a six-month hole in the action or failure to act of the government, and then expect the community to believe that they can be responsible and that the public can have some confidence that they are being given the truth, sufficient to be able to take action themselves to protect, in this case, against the harmful effects of the contamination of water.

We have that situation repeating. We have had a number of these instances when the government gets caught out when information, not rumours, is provided to the opposition and questions are asked about that in respect of the government's response. What do we have again today? We have another area of questioning, where the government, and particularly the minister, has hidden behind the Speaker's determination that, if information received is a rumour, it is not acceptable.

It has not been identified to the parliament as to whether or not there had been a rumour. If information is received by the opposition, it does not mean that it has been picked up as some kind of rumour. If information has been received, and it is confirmed that that information is to be made available, then that is acceptable, it can reasonably be relied upon, and this government needs to answer. Already, since this government came in, they have refused to answer questions in respect of the Gillman option to sell property. We are still being kept in the dark. The minister responsible for the ongoing management of this, the Deputy Premier, again declines to answer questions. We are being kept in the dark.

We have had the Ombudsman's report since coming back to the parliament, which reported to us in May this year that he found that ministerial officers had interfered with the freedom of information process and tried to prevent information getting out that could embarrass the government. That is a damning report that has been tabled in this parliament. We still have not heard from the government about whether they are going to accept the recommendations to introduce penalties to ensure that this conduct ceases and that the public are entitled to have that information. We have had the announcement that the State Records office now has to be accessed by application and the alienation of the general public, just from the state records, by this newly introduced procedure of restricting the capacity to go down and inspect those records.

All these actions of the government just confirm how secretive they are. They have shut down or are attempting to shut down freedom of the press—our last bastion of opportunity to have some confidence that the public will know about what is happening within government. Even the press freedoms are being shut down under legislation that is being currently debated in this house, but also legislation has been foreshadowed to protect the press in the provision of sources of information that they rely on for the material they publish.

We are again, as a general community, being isolated from that information. We have had allegations in respect of the state government using the office of probity and the ICAC structures to intimidate public servants.

Time expired.