FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:29): I have a supplementary question. Why did the police minister release this newsworthy information, as the minister said, on the night of the federal budget?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Small Business) (14:30): If anyone ever doubted that we had an opposition that is totally obsessed with media coverage, it has been given away in question time today. They are saying why he should do something on a particular date. Does this parliament exist for the benefit of the media? Are we secondary to the media? Do we have to worry about what might happen in the media? I suggest that this parliament and the government should be able to make their own decisions, regardless of the media, about what information we release and when.