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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2019-07-31 Daily Xml
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Ministers' Interests

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN (Lee) (14:56): My question is to the Premier. Will the Premier ensure that the Cabinet Office makes available to the Auditor-General declarations of interests made pursuant to sections 3.3 and 3.4 by the Minister for Environment and the Minister for Human Services?

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN: Could the member just repeat the question?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr Duluk: Stop being nasty.

The SPEAKER: Member for Waite, you are warned for a second and final time. Member for Lee, could you please repeat?

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Will the Premier ensure that the cabinet office makes available to the Auditor-General declarations of interests made by the Minister for Environment and the Minister for Human Services pursuant to sections 3.3 and 3.4 of the Ministerial Code of Conduct?

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General) (14:57): The member may or may not be aware but the government, via the Premier's guidelines, has issued a new statement under the new government as to how the operations will apply to the provision of information from the cabinet in respect of Auditor-General inquiry. Unlike the previous regime, who had I think been singularly embarrassed by the Gillman report—

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Point of order, Mr Speaker: the member for Bragg is unfortunately mistaken and as a result is debating the matter. My question was about declarations of interests held by the cabinet office not cabinet decisions, which are covered by the Premier and cabinet circular she is referring to.

The SPEAKER: I have the point of order. I will be listening very carefully to the Deputy Premier's answer. Thank you, member for Lee.

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN: In respect of the matter which the member purports to clarify—

An honourable member interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN: —I repeat that the government now operates under a new set of guidelines. In respect of the support that they provide and access to the Auditor-General and/or his office, that has been restored under those guidelines as to be considered on a case-by-case basis. We felt as a government—and the Premier has issued the guidelines in relation to that—that the previous position was appropriate. Clearly, we felt that the Auditor-General ought to have access to certain material and the direction reflects that.

The Hon. S.C. Mullighan: No, it doesn't. It's on application.

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN: The member seems to have his own view about that. I'm indicating to him as best I can what applies in this regard. Certainly in the time I have been here in the parliament, the Auditor-General, who annually reports to the parliament and, as I have indicated, from time to time gives special reports, has identified in his report quite often reference to having viewed either cabinet material or matters which would otherwise be confidential and been satisfied as to whether there has been some inadequate attention to a protocol, or a rule or a regulatory obligation.

Certainly in that time, he has, I think, responsibly reported minimal information to confirm that but, as he has rightly pointed out, it is important for him to be satisfied in relation to a number of processes that those—

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Point of order, Mr Speaker: the Deputy Premier is not only debating but she is doing so to run down the clock. I ask—

The SPEAKER: Member for Lee, respectfully, you can leave for the rest of question time. Thank you.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: For the rest of question time, sir?

The SPEAKER: Thank you.

The honourable member for Lee having withdrawn from the chamber:

The SPEAKER: The Deputy Premier has the call. Have you finished your answer?

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN: I will conclude by saying that I would invite the member, or any other members who wish to view that, to do so, of course, from the website.

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