Ms SCRYMGOUR - 2001-10-25
I refer the Chief Minister to the memorandum tabled by the Minister for Health, Family and Children’s Services. What is her response to the information it revealed?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I, members of this government and, I believe, all Territorians, are appalled at the conduct of the former Treasurer and the former Health Minister. I am equally appalled that the former Chief Minister led a government that would stop at nothing to cling on to power - that is what it is about - would stop at nothing. The now Opposition Leader, then Chief Minister, the now Deputy Opposition Leader, then Treasurer, and the health spokesperson who was the Health Minister, and your colleagues, would stop at nothing to cling on to power.
Mr DUNHAM: A point of order, Madam Speaker. The speaker is straying very closely to reflecting on the honour of the members of this House ...
Members interjecting.
Mr DUNHAM: … and given that she is choosing the coward’s way of doing it in answer to a question without debate, I suggest you pull her into line to protect …
Mr Stirling: You hypocrite! What honour? What honour? There is no point of order, Madam Speaker. I suggest he sits down.
Madam SPEAKER: In your seat, thank you. Leader of Government Business, you are on a warning. You do not make rulings in this House, I do. You also today have had three outbursts. Just be aware I am getting tired of it. There is no point of order.
Ms MARTIN: Madam Speaker, it does concern me that unnecessary points of order are being made. In this case it is simply because those three ...
Madam SPEAKER: I ruled on this point of order. Answer the question. I am getting a little bit fed up with these tactics. Answer the question.
Ms MARTIN: It saddens me to have to answer this question, it certainly does. I am appalled, and Territorians are appalled, at the behaviour as indicated in the tabled memorandum from the previous administration - do anything to cling on to power. The memo reveals that the former CLP government would say and do anything to deceive Territorians. It is a very serious charge, deceiving Territorians through the budget papers. Calculatedly, a deception to deceive Territorians, let us be perfectly clear about this matter. I quote from that memo again because it is a real indictment on the behaviour and the ethical standards of this previous administration. The then Chief Minister, the then Treasurer and the then Health Minister, that memo says - and this is a shocking document. Have no doubt about it, this is a shocking document:
… there was an artificial reduction of $8m in the THS 2000-01 budget in order that the budget for next year - the 2001-02 budget
figure - could be presented falsely in this budget paper as a 2.5% increase. In reality, THS 2001-02 budget represents a reduction
on the final 2000-01 approved budget.
The memo goes on to say, from the CEO of health:
I have received a telephone call from the Under Treasurer, Ken Clarke, who informed me the Treasurer …
This is what it is all about, it is the former Treasurer.
… intended to adjust the THS final budget figure for 2000-01, so that the following year’s budget could artificially be shown
as providing an increase at least equivalent to CPI’.
Mr Reed: $8m in a $400m budget?
Ms MARTIN: You are a disgrace. Yesterday I described you as the Treasurer for rubbery figures, today it is the Treasurer for deceit. The memo goes on:
I rang Minister Dunham, and expressed my alarm at this proposed deception.
This is from one of our most senior CEOs:
I advised him that, in my view, this arrangement would undoubtedly be discovered in due course by the Auditor-General and
would reflect poorly on THS and the minister ...
Minister Dunham expressed serious alarm at the information I conveyed to him and indicated he wished to be kept informed
of all developments.
He wished to be kept informed of all developments. The memo goes on to say:
The minister was continually kept informed as the budget process continued.
This is, very sadly, a massive deceit of Territorians. This is a very shocking memo and clearly spells out the deceit perpetrated by the then Treasurer, in conjunction with the then Health Minister, who did nothing, and all under the leadership of the now Opposition Leader. This is probably the most serious issue to come before this parliament ever. It is so serious that I move:
That this Assembly:
(1) censures the former Country Liberal Party Treasurer, the member for Katherine, for significantly including information …
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, If the censure motion is on, we have to close down Question Time.
Mr Burke: Why didn’t you run a substantive motion before you pull this sort of stuff? Ridiculous!
Madam SPEAKER: Stop! People filming, I have said that is the end of Question Time, we have a motion on the floor.
Chief Minister, you need to suspend Standing orders to move your motion and while you are doing that, it will allow the cameramen time to leave the gallery. There will be no more questions. You can move a motion to suspend Standing orders, to move a censure motion.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I, members of this government and, I believe, all Territorians, are appalled at the conduct of the former Treasurer and the former Health Minister. I am equally appalled that the former Chief Minister led a government that would stop at nothing to cling on to power - that is what it is about - would stop at nothing. The now Opposition Leader, then Chief Minister, the now Deputy Opposition Leader, then Treasurer, and the health spokesperson who was the Health Minister, and your colleagues, would stop at nothing to cling on to power.
Mr DUNHAM: A point of order, Madam Speaker. The speaker is straying very closely to reflecting on the honour of the members of this House ...
Members interjecting.
Mr DUNHAM: … and given that she is choosing the coward’s way of doing it in answer to a question without debate, I suggest you pull her into line to protect …
Mr Stirling: You hypocrite! What honour? What honour? There is no point of order, Madam Speaker. I suggest he sits down.
Madam SPEAKER: In your seat, thank you. Leader of Government Business, you are on a warning. You do not make rulings in this House, I do. You also today have had three outbursts. Just be aware I am getting tired of it. There is no point of order.
Ms MARTIN: Madam Speaker, it does concern me that unnecessary points of order are being made. In this case it is simply because those three ...
Madam SPEAKER: I ruled on this point of order. Answer the question. I am getting a little bit fed up with these tactics. Answer the question.
Ms MARTIN: It saddens me to have to answer this question, it certainly does. I am appalled, and Territorians are appalled, at the behaviour as indicated in the tabled memorandum from the previous administration - do anything to cling on to power. The memo reveals that the former CLP government would say and do anything to deceive Territorians. It is a very serious charge, deceiving Territorians through the budget papers. Calculatedly, a deception to deceive Territorians, let us be perfectly clear about this matter. I quote from that memo again because it is a real indictment on the behaviour and the ethical standards of this previous administration. The then Chief Minister, the then Treasurer and the then Health Minister, that memo says - and this is a shocking document. Have no doubt about it, this is a shocking document:
… there was an artificial reduction of $8m in the THS 2000-01 budget in order that the budget for next year - the 2001-02 budget
figure - could be presented falsely in this budget paper as a 2.5% increase. In reality, THS 2001-02 budget represents a reduction
on the final 2000-01 approved budget.
The memo goes on to say, from the CEO of health:
I have received a telephone call from the Under Treasurer, Ken Clarke, who informed me the Treasurer …
This is what it is all about, it is the former Treasurer.
… intended to adjust the THS final budget figure for 2000-01, so that the following year’s budget could artificially be shown
as providing an increase at least equivalent to CPI’.
Mr Reed: $8m in a $400m budget?
Ms MARTIN: You are a disgrace. Yesterday I described you as the Treasurer for rubbery figures, today it is the Treasurer for deceit. The memo goes on:
I rang Minister Dunham, and expressed my alarm at this proposed deception.
This is from one of our most senior CEOs:
I advised him that, in my view, this arrangement would undoubtedly be discovered in due course by the Auditor-General and
would reflect poorly on THS and the minister ...
Minister Dunham expressed serious alarm at the information I conveyed to him and indicated he wished to be kept informed
of all developments.
He wished to be kept informed of all developments. The memo goes on to say:
The minister was continually kept informed as the budget process continued.
This is, very sadly, a massive deceit of Territorians. This is a very shocking memo and clearly spells out the deceit perpetrated by the then Treasurer, in conjunction with the then Health Minister, who did nothing, and all under the leadership of the now Opposition Leader. This is probably the most serious issue to come before this parliament ever. It is so serious that I move:
That this Assembly:
(1) censures the former Country Liberal Party Treasurer, the member for Katherine, for significantly including information …
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, If the censure motion is on, we have to close down Question Time.
Mr Burke: Why didn’t you run a substantive motion before you pull this sort of stuff? Ridiculous!
Madam SPEAKER: Stop! People filming, I have said that is the end of Question Time, we have a motion on the floor.
Chief Minister, you need to suspend Standing orders to move your motion and while you are doing that, it will allow the cameramen time to leave the gallery. There will be no more questions. You can move a motion to suspend Standing orders, to move a censure motion.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016