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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2008-11-26 Daily Xml
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Parliamentary Committees

SELECT COMMITTEE ON THE ATKINSON/ASHBOURNE/CLARKE AFFAIR

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. R.D. Lawson:

That the minutes of evidence, documents and submissions presented to the select committee be tabled forthwith.

(Continued from 12 November 2008. Page 653.)

The Hon. R.D. LAWSON (21:51): This motion seeks to have tabled the balance of the material that was collected by the select committee into the Atkinson/Ashbourne/Clarke affair. Much of the material has already been tendered; in fact, it was tabled by the President. I seek the support of members of the council at the completion of this happy chapter in the history of the Legislative Council.

The Hon. SANDRA KANCK (21:54): I support the motion. I believe that most of the evidence at least was heard very publicly back in 2005 and, to some extent, the tabling of it is simply a process. I do not expect that anything new will be made public as a consequence of this tabling. I spoke earlier today and referred to some of the evidence that was taken, and I think that this is now a logical conclusion.

The Hon. M. PARNELL (21:54): When the matter was brought before us a month or so ago as to whether to keep this select committee going, I said at the time that I was happy for it to continue until today but no longer. As it turned out, the committee's life was not continued until today. Nevertheless, it is consistent with the approach I took back then, given that we are on the last private members' day of the year, that we finalise this matter by having the remainder of evidence, documents and submissions tabled and forming part of the record of this place. So, I am supporting the motion.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (21:55): The government will not be opposing this motion, but I want to say that, if the non-government members of the committee had acted in a responsible way during the select committee, we would have tabled a report. There would have been two reports, of course, a majority and minority, and all the information would have been there for the public anyway. But, they chose not to debate the evidence on a committee level. They preferred to use a sneaky, underhanded way of tabling a statement with a number of recommendations. That is their choice. Most members here understand that the way the non-government members behaved on this committee was absolutely deplorable and an abuse of the select committee process.

We believe that information and evidence should be open to the public domain. The only report the committee had was the one I handed down—the draft report—under sufferance from the threat of being kicked off as chairperson. But it is only right that the evidence is released. I will emphasise one more time that the select committee process does actually perform a very useful function in a democratic society, and the way that process was abused, and the way non-government members conducted themselves during the process, is an indictment on those members.

The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN: I move:

That the debate be now adjourned.

The council divided on the motion:

AYES (5)
Finnigan, B.V. (teller) Gago, G.E. Gazzola, J.M.
Wortley, R.P. Zollo, C.
NOES (12)
Bressington, A. Brokenshire, R.L. Darley, J.A.
Dawkins, J.S.L. Hood, D.G.E. Kanck, S.M.
Lawson, R.D. (teller) Lucas, R.I. Parnell, M.
Ridgway, D.W. Schaefer, C.V. Wade, S.G.
PAIRS (4)
Hunter, I.K. Stephens, T.J.
Holloway, P. Lensink, J.M.A.


Majority of 7 for the noes.

Motion thus negatived.

The Hon. R.D. LAWSON (22:03): I thank members for their contributions. I particularly thank the Hon. Russell Wortley for his expressions of support for the motion. I remind the chamber that last week an email was sent around asking for a vote and, as a result of the discussion among members, it was resolved that that vote would be deferred until today. I urge members to support the motion.

Motion carried.

The PRESIDENT (22:04): In accordance with the resolution, I lay on the table the minutes of evidence, documents and submissions presented to the Select Committee on the Atkinson/Ashbourne/Clarke Affair.

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