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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-11-18 Daily Xml
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Parliament, Proroguing

The Hon. M.C. PARNELL (15:26): My questions are to the Leader of the Government about the cost of proroguing parliament:

1. What is the cost of proroguing parliament, after just seven months of sitting?

2. What is the cost of the opening ceremony, including the opportunity cost of judges, service personnel and others who are diverted from their normal duties?

3. Has the government calculated the cost in time and wasted resources in members having to reintroduce and redebate bills and motions that will lapse when parliament is prorogued, or the cost of additional printing and circulation of new versions of old bills?

The Hon. R.L. Brokenshire: 'No Proroguing'—I'm going to protest.

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (15:27): I thank the honourable member for his most important questions. I note the interjections by the Hon. Robert Brokenshire, saying things like how silly it is to prorogue and yet, what a hypocrite he is—what a total hypocrite.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The minister has the floor.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: He was a member of a former Liberal government that on many occasions prorogued. We have already had the Hon. Ian Hunter outline the evidence of the many occasions that a former Liberal government prorogued, far more often than we have. I could invite the Hon. Ian Hunter to relay that information if there is any doubt whatsoever, if there is any challenge—

The Hon. R.L. Brokenshire: That was in the 1800s.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: It was not in the 1800s.

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: A fair bit of it was.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: That is just absolute nonsense.

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: You mean started in the 1800s?

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: Anyway, I will come back and clarify some of those dates shortly, Mr President. The Hon. Robert Brokenshire is an absolute hypocrite, so I completely reject his interventions which, of course, are out of order anyway, sir. In relation to the cost of proroguing parliament, I do not have those figures in front of me at the moment. But this government is committed to keeping all costs to an absolute minimum, and I can assure members that we will be doing that. Any costs that the honourable member refers to in terms of duplication are saved by the efficiencies gained by being able to clear notice papers which are choked with many—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The minister has the floor.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: —really quite nonsense motions that members have no intention of ever proceeding with—none at all. This is an ideal opportunity to rid ourselves of those, so there are efficiencies to be gained.

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