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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-06-30 Daily Xml
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Members, Accommodation Allowances

Mr MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Leader of the Opposition) (14:11): My question is to you, sir. Will the Speaker release all country members' accommodation allowance claim forms—

The Hon. S.S. Marshall: Literally a minute ago he gave a statement.

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. Marshall: Why don't you listen to the Speaker?

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Why don't you listen to the question?

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier is called to order. The member for Morphett is called to order. The Minister for Innovation and Skills is also called to order. I imagine that the Leader of the Opposition has a question for me. I would like to hear it.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: My question is to you, sir.

The Hon. S.S. Marshall: Don't yell at the Speaker. Just be nice.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Don't hang up on people. Don't go walking out of meetings.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Members, please! I would like to hear the question. Leader, will I?

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Thank you, sir. I will try again, sir. Will the Speaker release all country members' accommodation allowance claim forms and declarations, each individual one that has been submitted from 20 March 2010 to 30 June 2020 and release them by no later than Friday 3 July 2020?

The Hon. V.A. Chapman: Why didn't you ask Lyn Breuer to do that?

The SPEAKER (14:13): The Deputy Premier makes a valid point. However, interjections are out of order and I call her to order. I also call the Minister for Transport to order.

I believe I did touch on this matter earlier, and I do understand and appreciate the leader's concern in regard to this issue. He would have been able to privately canvass this issue with me. However, it is his prerogative to raise it in this house, like any member can ask questions. I think there is a valid question: why didn't previous parliaments release this information? It's not a question that I have taken lightly. I have obviously reflected, and I believe that what we have released now is certainly the highest level of transparency regarding country members' accommodation information of any presiding member during the history of this parliament.

Will we go back and release information before this parliament? If someone wanted to move a motion at the relevant time and it had the support of the house, then of course I would look at it. But, given how sensitive, significant and retrospective those details are, it would obviously be a significant body of work to also look back on those details and get those details. It would raise several issues. So, whilst I am in the hands of the house to raise a motion to produce such information, I refer the Leader of the Opposition to my earlier statement. I have nothing but respect, let me put on the record, for all presiding members way back, be they Labor, Liberal or otherwise, but they certainly haven't—

An honourable member interjecting:

The SPEAKER: No, I do. I haven't taken the decision lightly, and I refer the leader to my earlier comments. The leader has had three questions; I will give him one more.

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