Hansard 3 May 2001

3 May 2001 Legislative Assembly 639 THURSDAY, 3 MAY 2001 Mr SPEAKER (Hon. R. K. Hollis, Redcliffe) read prayers and took the chair at 9.30 a.m. PRIVILEGE Public Works Committee; Comments by Member for Beaudesert Mr NEIL ROBERTS (Nudgee—ALP) (9.31 a.m.): I rise on a matter of privilege. Yesterday, the member for Beaudesert, in a question to the Treasurer and Minister for Sport, revealed to this House information concerning the internal deliberations of the Public Works Committee. Specifically, the member revealed what he believed to be the way in which ALP members of the committee deliberated on a particular issue. On Tuesday, 1 May during debate on the Parliamentary Committees and Criminal Justice Amendment Bill, the member for Beaudesert also revealed to this House what he believed to be the way in which I, as Chairman of the Public Works Committee, deliberated on another matter being considered by the committee. In relation to this matter, he said— So we found that the committee split three all. Of course, unbelievably, a casting vote was made by the chairman, an ALP member. Which way did he go? Of course he went with the government. So we had a four-three vote. It is a well-established principle of this and other parliaments that the internal deliberations of parliamentary committees are not divulged without the authority of the committee. This is an extremely important principle which goes to the very heart of the effective operation of the committee system. In fact, the unauthorised publication or disclosure of the private deliberations and decisions of committees have been pursued as matters of breach of privilege or contempt. Whereas the accuracy of the information provided by the member for Beaudesert is disputed, there is no doubt that there was a clear intention to divulge some specific internal deliberations of the Public Works Committee. Given that this has the potential of constituting a serious breach of the principles on which parliamentary committees operate, I request that the Speaker consider referring this matter to the Members' Ethics and Parliamentary Privileges Committee for determination on whether the member for Beaudesert's actions constitute a breach of privilege or contempt of the committee. I make this request directly to the Speaker on the basis that the previous Public Works Committee, which would normally consider this matter, no longer exists. I will provide the Speaker with a written request regarding this matter later today. SMOKING IN PARLIAMENT HOUSE AND PARLIAMENTARY ANNEXE Mr SPEAKER: Order! I advise all honourable members that I have today instructed that smoking will strictly not be permitted in any enclosed area within Parliament House and the Parliamentary Annexe. PETITION The Clerk announced the receipt of the following petition— Mudgeeraba Creek State Primary School Mrs Reilly from 446 petitioners, requesting the House to supply the following to the Mudgeeraba Creek State Primary School (a) wider covered walkways to the long-term temporary buildings and (b) a covered verandah for the purpose of (i) port rack facilities as there are health and safety issues relating to this issue, (ii) withdrawal areas for the use of a one on one remedial work space and (iii) art and craft areas. PAPERS MINISTERIAL PAPERS The following ministerial papers were tabled— Hon. T. M. Mackenroth (Deputy Premier, Treasurer and Minister for Sport)— Queensland Treasury Corporation—Half-yearly report July to December 2000 Report on visit to the United Kingdom and Ireland by Hon. T. M. Mackenroth (then Minister for Communication, Local Government and Planning) 640 Ministerial Statement 3 May 2001 MINISTERIAL STATEMENT Dingoes, Fraser Island Hon. P. D. BEATTIE (Brisbane Central—ALP) (Premier and Minister for Trade) (9.35 a.m.), by leave: The cull of wild dingoes entering townships and camping grounds on Fraser Island has begun. The first dingo was shot by a Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service ranger on Fraser Island yesterday afternoon, and the cull will continue over coming days. The dingo was part of a pack that has frequented the Waddy Point camp ground where a young boy died tragically following an attack by dingoes on Monday morning. It is the first of up to 20 dingoes that could be culled. There may be more. What the government wants is the camping grounds and townships safe, and dingoes found within that precinct will be the ones destroyed. The cull will continue and include the entire Waddy Creek pack of about five dogs. Initially, two small teams of rangers will conduct the cull. They will operate on separate parts of the island. It is unacceptable for dingoes to wander around campsites on Fraser Island putting young children at risk. I know there is criticism in certain quarters of our decision to cull. I would simply point out that a young boy has died. This is the right thing to do. We take no pleasure from this, but we have a duty of care to residents and visitors and to people. As I say, this is the right thing to do. I have also instructed the Department of Environment, in cooperation with the minster, to undertake a risk assessment of dingoes on Fraser Island. That report must be completed within a month. As well, we have ordered the strict enforcement of the no-feeding laws. So there are three aspects to our strategy: one is the cull around townships and campsites; two is the risk assessment, which the minister has authorised, and he delivered the terms of reference to the parliament yesterday; and three is the strict enforcement of the no-feeding laws. The no-feeding laws have been ignored by some people and that has contributed to the problem we face today. Feeding dingoes currently attracts on-the-spot fines of up to $75 and penalties of up to $1,500 if action is pursued through the courts. Many properties in western Queensland have dingoes living on them, but you do not find these animals lying on the front lawn. It should be the same on Fraser Island. Some media reports have given the impression that the State Government has done nothing to deal with the problem of rogue dingoes on Fraser Island in recent years. This is not the case. The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service has had dingo culling procedures and management guidelines for staff since 1992. These procedures have been followed and updated. Put briefly, rangers have the authority to cull any dingo that they believe is dangerous or has the potential to cause harm to people. For instance, in September last year it was decided that a dingo in the Happy Valley area posed a potential threat and it was destroyed. Soon afterwards, there were complaints about a dingo in the Kingfisher Bay area and it, too, was culled. Two have been culled from the Lake McKenzie area since May 1999. Another three have been destroyed at Central Station in the past four years. Altogether, between 30 and 40 Fraser Island dingoes have been destroyed in the past decade. Mr Speaker, our hearts go out to the family of the young boy. I have written to the parents, and the Environment Minister has communicated with the family as well. Both of us expressed our deepest condolences on behalf of all Queenslanders. MINISTERIAL STATEMENT HIH Insurance Hon. P. D. BEATTIE (Brisbane Central—ALP) (Premier and Minister for Trade) (9.40 a.m.), by leave: The collapse of HIH Insurance is of great concern to my government, the business community and the general public of Queensland. We have all seen media reports showing just how the group's collapse has affected ordinary Queenslanders, and the situation is one that has caused a great deal of anxiety for policyholders. There are people who have been seriously injured playing sport whose futures are on hold because of the HIH collapse. My office has received calls from businesses concerned about their financial security. These are real people facing a real crisis in their lives. It is a situation that calls for leadership. Last month I received a letter from New South Wales Premier Bob Carr, seeking Queensland government action to promote a national response to the collapse. Last night in Sydney, where I 3 May 2001 Ministerial Statement 641 attended a major function for the 40th anniversary of Westfield, I had a discussion with the New South Wales Premier about this issue. We have agreed on a strategy that will be released over the next few days. I told Mr Carr that it is this government's view that urgent federal government action is now required, in consultation with the states, to discuss the Commonwealth's responsibilities in maintaining the integrity of the insurance system. I also wrote immediately to Prime Minister Howard, repeating this view. I informed Mr Howard that the Deputy Premier and Treasurer, Terry Mackenroth, would write to the federal Minister for Financial Services and Regulation requesting a meeting of relevant state and federal ministers to discuss the extent of the problems and potential strategies to address these problems. We are yet to receive a response from the Prime Minister or the Minister for Financial Services and Regulation. The best we have seen are press comments by the Minister for Financial Services and Regulation wiping his hands of the affair, saying that the federal government does not have enough information from the provisional liquidator to act. That is cold comfort to those people caught up in this affair. The federal government seems to be saying that it is too early to act, yet it could have and should have stepped in before the collapse occurred.

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