Mr McADAM - 2001-11-28
The Leader of the Opposition has been making allegations about work for period contractors. Can the minister advise the House of the real facts of the situation for period contracts?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Barkly for his question. Yes, it is true, the Leader of the Opposition has made all sorts of allegations about the Labor government cutting funds and period contractors suffering. I am aware that period contractors have been suffering for a long time. The reason I am aware is because I speak with these contractors, and the Leader of the Opposition is quite aware of it. He commented that I drink coffee in the Galleria with these people. I do not walk away at Charlies with mates, making deals. I talk with contractors every day and I know what they are going through.
I know very well that the real reason for cuts in period contracts is not with the Labor government; it was the previous administration. Yesterday, he tabled a document, and in this document there is significant reduction in period contracts in September. When a work order is issued, when the contractor does his work and he gets paid, you need at least a month to get paid - September. August 2001 - $62 000, September 2001 - $13 000. In addition, the department was well aware of the problem for period contracts as early as August - when they were still in government - because they prepared a brief for the new government on 13 August 2001, advising the new government - of course they did not know it was going to be a Labor government, they thought it would be the same government - telling them there was no money because they took the money from minor works and they spent it ...
Members interjecting.
Mr VATSKALIS: Madam Speaker ...
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Minister, cease for a moment. I think members on both sides are rather disgraceful this afternoon. Quiet, thank you.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Drysdale! I think I am going to start putting a few people on warnings. You are just being over the top and you know it. Leader of Government Business, it would help if you allowed your minister to speak in silence.
Mr VATSKALIS: I am very careful about my statements in parliament. I ask again - and point out the paper the Leader of the Opposition, the member for Brennan, tabled yesterday - if he lied yesterday. The other problem we have is with period contracts. The Leader of the Opposition, the member for Brennan, represented one of his constituents yesterday and quite so, I would have done exactly the same. The only problem is he did not tell him what really happened with the period contracts. He did not tell him he took the money to repair flood damaged roads and they did not replace the cash allocation in minor programs. So when we arrived here, when we became the new government - unexpectedly for them - we found out that past November we would not have $1 to pay these people. Nobody was prepared to order new work for these people to do, without having any money to pay them.
Mr Burke: Stop lying.
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Madam SPEAKER: Yes, there is a point of order. Withdraw that.
Mr Burke: Madam Speaker, I will retract if the minister retracts. He called me a liar earlier, and I will retract if he does.
Madam SPEAKER: I did not hear him call you a liar.
Mr STIRLING: If I could just speak to that. He said of the document, ‘if he lied’ meaning the Leader of the Opposition. He was inferring that he himself would have lied because he is taking the information from the member for Brennan.
Madam SPEAKER: My interpretation is that he did not call you a liar. Member for Brennan, I ask you to withdraw that comment.
Mr BURKE: Madam Speaker, I am happy to withdraw but I ask the minister to withdraw the fact that he said that I lied in that document. That document was provided by a contractor. I did nothing to that document at all.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: That is not how I interpreted his remarks at all. Sorry, I did not interpret them like that at all. I ask you to withdraw unreservedly without any further comment. Member for Brennan, withdraw.
Mr BURKE: Madam Speaker, I have great difficulty withdrawing until I understand what the context of the minister’s statements were with regards that the document I tabled.
Madam SPEAKER: I have just said that I did not interpret his comments as saying that you were a liar.
Mr BURKE: Well may I ask, Madam Speaker, how you interpreted those comments?
Madam SPEAKER: From what he said.
Mr BURKE: What did he say?
Madam SPEAKER: And that is what I am just saying. Look, I am not going to ...
Mr BURKE: Well if you do not know, Madam Speaker, how can I withdraw?
Madam SPEAKER: ... continue this debate with you. Member for Brennan, I ask you to withdraw, as I have said. Simple as that.
Mr BURKE: I withdraw, Madam Speaker.
Mr Stirling: Madam Speaker, I can clarify ...
Madam SPEAKER: Resume your seat. No one has acknowledged you. I am getting a little fed up this afternoon with the behaviour of members. You do not speak in this House until you are acknowledged by the Chair, and you do not carry on with this charade any longer. Minister, would you finish your reply, otherwise I am going to walk out.
Mr VATSKALIS: Madam Speaker, I am aware of the problems period contractors face. Mr Ray Brown spoke to my officers this morning and, I believe, he has already spoken to the Department of Transport and Infrastructure this afternoon. We are very well aware of the problem they are facing. We have done everything possible to allocate money for minor repairs, and this money will flow on to the department and period contracts can be resumed as soon as practically possible.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Barkly for his question. Yes, it is true, the Leader of the Opposition has made all sorts of allegations about the Labor government cutting funds and period contractors suffering. I am aware that period contractors have been suffering for a long time. The reason I am aware is because I speak with these contractors, and the Leader of the Opposition is quite aware of it. He commented that I drink coffee in the Galleria with these people. I do not walk away at Charlies with mates, making deals. I talk with contractors every day and I know what they are going through.
I know very well that the real reason for cuts in period contracts is not with the Labor government; it was the previous administration. Yesterday, he tabled a document, and in this document there is significant reduction in period contracts in September. When a work order is issued, when the contractor does his work and he gets paid, you need at least a month to get paid - September. August 2001 - $62 000, September 2001 - $13 000. In addition, the department was well aware of the problem for period contracts as early as August - when they were still in government - because they prepared a brief for the new government on 13 August 2001, advising the new government - of course they did not know it was going to be a Labor government, they thought it would be the same government - telling them there was no money because they took the money from minor works and they spent it ...
Members interjecting.
Mr VATSKALIS: Madam Speaker ...
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Minister, cease for a moment. I think members on both sides are rather disgraceful this afternoon. Quiet, thank you.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Drysdale! I think I am going to start putting a few people on warnings. You are just being over the top and you know it. Leader of Government Business, it would help if you allowed your minister to speak in silence.
Mr VATSKALIS: I am very careful about my statements in parliament. I ask again - and point out the paper the Leader of the Opposition, the member for Brennan, tabled yesterday - if he lied yesterday. The other problem we have is with period contracts. The Leader of the Opposition, the member for Brennan, represented one of his constituents yesterday and quite so, I would have done exactly the same. The only problem is he did not tell him what really happened with the period contracts. He did not tell him he took the money to repair flood damaged roads and they did not replace the cash allocation in minor programs. So when we arrived here, when we became the new government - unexpectedly for them - we found out that past November we would not have $1 to pay these people. Nobody was prepared to order new work for these people to do, without having any money to pay them.
Mr Burke: Stop lying.
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Madam SPEAKER: Yes, there is a point of order. Withdraw that.
Mr Burke: Madam Speaker, I will retract if the minister retracts. He called me a liar earlier, and I will retract if he does.
Madam SPEAKER: I did not hear him call you a liar.
Mr STIRLING: If I could just speak to that. He said of the document, ‘if he lied’ meaning the Leader of the Opposition. He was inferring that he himself would have lied because he is taking the information from the member for Brennan.
Madam SPEAKER: My interpretation is that he did not call you a liar. Member for Brennan, I ask you to withdraw that comment.
Mr BURKE: Madam Speaker, I am happy to withdraw but I ask the minister to withdraw the fact that he said that I lied in that document. That document was provided by a contractor. I did nothing to that document at all.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: That is not how I interpreted his remarks at all. Sorry, I did not interpret them like that at all. I ask you to withdraw unreservedly without any further comment. Member for Brennan, withdraw.
Mr BURKE: Madam Speaker, I have great difficulty withdrawing until I understand what the context of the minister’s statements were with regards that the document I tabled.
Madam SPEAKER: I have just said that I did not interpret his comments as saying that you were a liar.
Mr BURKE: Well may I ask, Madam Speaker, how you interpreted those comments?
Madam SPEAKER: From what he said.
Mr BURKE: What did he say?
Madam SPEAKER: And that is what I am just saying. Look, I am not going to ...
Mr BURKE: Well if you do not know, Madam Speaker, how can I withdraw?
Madam SPEAKER: ... continue this debate with you. Member for Brennan, I ask you to withdraw, as I have said. Simple as that.
Mr BURKE: I withdraw, Madam Speaker.
Mr Stirling: Madam Speaker, I can clarify ...
Madam SPEAKER: Resume your seat. No one has acknowledged you. I am getting a little fed up this afternoon with the behaviour of members. You do not speak in this House until you are acknowledged by the Chair, and you do not carry on with this charade any longer. Minister, would you finish your reply, otherwise I am going to walk out.
Mr VATSKALIS: Madam Speaker, I am aware of the problems period contractors face. Mr Ray Brown spoke to my officers this morning and, I believe, he has already spoken to the Department of Transport and Infrastructure this afternoon. We are very well aware of the problem they are facing. We have done everything possible to allocate money for minor repairs, and this money will flow on to the department and period contracts can be resumed as soon as practically possible.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016