PARLIAMENTARY SITTING HOURS

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE (15:13): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Leader of Government Business in this place a question about the status of women, men and their families in this house.

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE: As a step forward in reform of the Legislative Council, would the Leader of Government Business in this house consider meeting on a multipartisan basis prior to the next sitting week to consider establishing a trial whereby we start sitting on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 11am, while still having the same amount of private members' time as we have allocated on Wednesdays? We could sit at 11am for the last three sitting weeks of this year to see whether we can get more efficiencies into this place and get home before 12.30 in the morning.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Public Sector Management, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister for Gambling) (15:14): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. I think there are a number of ways efficiencies can be improved in this place without necessarily making any changes whatsoever. In principle I have no objection to what the honourable member raises. However, as I said I would like to see whether we can improve the efficiencies in this place under the current provisions; I think that there is a lot we can do better and that there is a lot of filibustering and time wasting. I believe some of those practices would just follow us into the new timeslots, and that would continue to eat away at the efficiency of this place. I would rather explore those inefficiencies currently in this chamber.