Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-11-30 Daily Xml

Contents

First Nations Voice to Parliament

The Hon. S.G. WADE (15:10): Further supplementary: the honourable minister's answer to the question from the Hon. Laura Curran highlighted that it is appropriate for members of the Voice to be remunerated for their time, and I agree with that. Is the need to limit the budget for the remuneration of members the reason why there has been a cap on meetings proposed in the draft bill? It seems somewhat peculiar to say, 'We are establishing a group but they shall not meet any more than X number of times.'

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:11): No, it's not a budgetary statement, it's more an administrative constraint. I just can't remember what the number is, but it is no fewer and no more than a certain number of meetings, both for local Voices and the statewide Voice. But it does provide for the ability for more to be held with the agreement of the local or the statewide Voice and the minister, so it doesn't exclude the possibility but just as a matter of reasonableness and also to give people who might consider standing some idea of what may be involved. I can't remember the number but it might be no fewer than four and no more than six in any given year, I think. But those are the reasons in the draft bill and, as I said, it is out for a second round of consultation now.