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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-10-28 Daily Xml
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Question Time

MOUNT GAMBIER

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:22): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the parliamentary secretary representing the Premier a question about the Mount Gambier economy.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: As we know, the member opposite has always been a very passionate advocate for Mount Gambier. It is his home town, and he is always reminding us that he—

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: He spends a lot of time there.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Well, he must spend a lot of time there. Certainly, if he spends as much time there as he does here in the chamber, he would not spend much time there at all. However, he does remind us that he is the only member of the Legislative Council who lives more than 100 kilometres outside the CBD.

In the 2008 Mid-Year Budget Review, there was an announcement that the forests could be sold. In the 2010 Sustainable Budget Commission report, it was a recommendation that the forests be sold. As we know, Mount Gambier is a timber town and it is particularly important to the economy. In the last couple of weeks, a public meeting was held there, and I have been made aware that the local member, so to speak, the Hon. Mr Finnigan, did not attend that meeting. My questions are: why did the member not attend that meeting and, over the last two years, what action has he taken to protect the billion-dollar industry and the thousands of jobs at risk in his home town?

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Finnigan can choose whether or not he answers that question.

The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN (14:23): Thank you, Mr President. I will ignore the factual errors in the question. While standing orders provide that any member can be asked a question in this place, it is the Westminster tradition that only ministers answer questions regarding the matters to which they are responsible to the council. It is not the custom in any commonwealth jurisdiction that I am aware of—certainly within Australia—for parliamentary secretaries to answer questions, because they do not have ministerial responsibility. Indeed, it may be seen as a diminution of the accountability of the Executive to the parliament if parliamentary secretaries were able to start answering questions.

I could well imagine members opposite saying that that would be ministers trying to avoid scrutiny. So, while standing orders do provide for any member to be asked a question, I do not have ministerial responsibility for the matters raised by the honourable member. In accordance with the Westminster conventions, parliamentary secretaries do not answer questions.

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