Taxpayers punished by Liberal MPs who refuse to act responsibly

16/8/02
Liberal Members of Parliament are intent on making the ordinary taxpayers of Western Australia pay for their inept performance in State Parliament.
Opposition Members of the Legislative Council have refused to allow the convention of Pairs to be reinstated and are putting the whole process of good government at risk as a result.
The informal Pairs system, which allows a balance of representation to be maintained in the Parliament if a Member of either major party is required to be elsewhere, was unilaterally revoked by the Opposition in May.
Kim Chance, the Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council, said the Liberals' petty action would prevent the attendance of Ministers at key national conferences.
"It is vitally important to the financial security of WA taxpayers that we are able to represent the State's interests at the negotiating tables in Canberra," Mr Chance said.
"But the Liberal Party doesn't think it has any role to play in ensuring good governance and the effective running of State Parliament.
"Rather, they are intent on punishing ordinary taxpayers for their own embarrassing bungle earlier this year during debate on important industrial relations reform.
"It wasn't the Government's fault and it wasn't the taxpayers' fault that no Liberal MP was present in the House during a second reading stage of the debate back in May.
"But rather than admit their own mistake and learn from it, the Liberals decided to take their frustrations and embarrassment out on everyone else by hatching a plan to frustrate the workings of Parliament by cancelling the Pairs arrangement.
"We worked through the remainder of the last Session with great difficulty, but now the Opposition has informed us it intends to continue with this irresponsible, punitive measure."
Mr Chance said for its part, the Government would make sure during this Parliamentary Session that, when required, Ministers were absent from Parliament in order to represent taxpayers at national talks of paramount importance to WA.
But in the absence of the Pairs system, the Government would not be able to bring any legislation to a vote during a period when one of its members was absent.
"These are the unfortunate and regrettable ramifications of the Liberals' petty and ill-directed recriminations and they should be ashamed of themselves," the Minister said.
Minister's office: 9213 6700