Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-06-09 Daily Xml

Contents

MINISTERIAL APPOINTMENTS

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE (14:37): Supplementary, Mr President.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE: Why not? My parents always taught me to say, 'Why not?' Mr President—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Mr Brokenshire, I don't think that you are being considered.

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE: Sir, I'm sure you are right.

The PRESIDENT: But if you have got a supplementary, you can ask it.

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE: I have a supplementary. My supplementary to the minister is: has the caucus acknowledged that it is in contempt of the importance of this house by refusing to bring a second minister in straight away? Because that is how I see it, sir—absolute contempt.

The PRESIDENT: I don't know how you derived that from the answer the minister gave.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Public Sector Management, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister for Gambling) (14:38): No, Mr President, of course caucus is not in contempt. Caucus is very respectful of this institution. In fact, I know that it is, because I know that we remind it regularly, don't we, Mr President? We remind it regularly that the real work of parliament is in fact done in this place. We do. We remind it constantly, Mr President. Indeed, it is not in contempt and, as I said, these matters are being considered and these considerations are being expedited as quickly as they can.

The PRESIDENT: Very well answered, minister. The Hon. Mr Ridgway has a further supplementary.