BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE: ANNUAL REPORT 2012-13

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (16:15): I move:

That the report on the operations of the Budget and Finance Committee 2012-13 be noted.

This afternoon I intend to speak briefly to this motion and seek leave to conclude my remarks for another day. At the outset, I thank the members who have served on the committee for the last 12-month period. I thank the committee secretary, Mr Guy Dickson, for his hard work. He continues to battle on in the absence of a research officer position. This Legislative Council has passed a motion supporting the staffing of the committee with the research officer position, but two presidents, including yourself, Mr President, have chosen not to follow the decision of the Legislative Council in relation to this issue.

My views on the merit of the Budget and Finance Committee are on the record, and I repeat them again. I think it does meritorious work as a committee. It is an important committee in terms of the ongoing role of the Legislative Council. Certainly, it would be my view that this committee should continue, whatever party happens to be in government post-March 2014. Indeed, I would be very surprised if those members in this chamber who did not constitute a government membership of the Legislative Council would not agree with the view that the committee has done good work and should be re-established, whoever happens to be in government post-March 2014.

Certainly, as I have indicated before, it is my wish that if the Liberal Party is elected to government this committee be established as a standing and continuing committee of the Legislative Council, properly staffed as it should be, perhaps commensurate with other committees, and that may or may not mean that all committees need to have two staff—perhaps a radical thought. Some committees of this parliament have one staff member combining the role of both research and secretarial work. It may well be that that is a model future parliaments might want to consider in terms of all the committees, but that is an issue for another day. At this stage I seek leave to conclude my remarks.

Leave granted; debated adjourned.