Consumer and Business Services, Workplace Culture

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (15:26): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before addressing a question to the Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector on the topic of departmental workplace culture.

Leave granted.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: Recommendation 1 of the Consumer and Business Services Review Report is, and I quote:

That CBS, in conjunction with AGD, consider developing a budget bid for additional resources.

Given the budget is to be handed down on 5 June, my question to the minister is: will the minister be transparent with the public in regard to what extra funding will be required in that budget bid to fix the cultural dysfunction, and whether taxpayers are now footing the bill for mismanagement?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector, Special Minister of State) (15:27): I thank the honourable member for her question. I have attempted to be as generous as I possibly can be with questions that are directed to another minister's portfolio, but I understand it is very difficult because, as we have traversed today, the Hon. Michelle Lensink is the only, the single person opposite, who has come anywhere near executive government and sitting around a cabinet table. I do understand that the Leader of the Opposition is at a very significant disadvantage from some of the other people in this chamber, not having been anywhere near executive government and not having—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: As I was saying, I understand that the Leader of the Opposition is doing the very best that she can, but not having had the experience and the understanding of actually how government works, how budget processes work, about how ministerial responsibility works, it is very difficult to construct questions. Even if the questions are just a slight variation and a repeat of questions that have been asked before, budget processes for individual ministers are put up by those ministers and worked through by those ministers.