Legislative Assembly 1721 22 October 1991 NOTE: There could be differences between this document and the official printed Hansard, Vol. 320 TUESDAY, 22 OCTOBER 1991 Mr SPEAKER (Hon. J. Fouras, Ashgrove) read prayers and took the chair at 10 a.m. ASSENT TO BILLS Assent to the following Bills reported by Mr Speaker— Public Sector (Appeals) Amendment Bill; Corporations (Queensland) Amendment Bill; Elections Amendment Bill (No. 2); Special Freeholding of Leases Bill; Petroleum Amendment Bill; Totalisator on Licensed Premises Bill. APPOINTMENT OF OFFICERS OF PARLIAMENT Mr SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise the House that at midnight on 20 October 1991, Mr A. R. Woodward retired as the Clerk of the Parliament. I wish to place on record my appreciation of Mr Woodward for his tireless devotion to duty during his more than 12 years as the Clerk of the Parliament and I wish him and his wife, Brenda, a long and happy retirement. Honourable members: Hear, hear! Mr SPEAKER: Honourable members, the following acting appointments have been made consequent upon Mr Woodward’s retirement: Mr R. D. Doyle, Acting Clerk of the Parliament; Mr I. W. Thompson, Acting Deputy Clerk of the Parliament (Procedure); Mr B. S. Sanderson, Acting Clerk Assistant (Procedure); and Mr B. D. Charlier, Acting Second Clerk Assistant and Clerk of Bills and Papers. PAPERS PRINTED OR CIRCULATED DURING RECESS Mr SPEAKER: Honourable members, I have to report that the following paper was ordered to be printed and circulated during the recess in accordance with section 29A of the Acts Interpretation Act 1954— Annual report of the Department of Employment, Vocational Education, Training and Industrial Relations for the year ended 30 June 1991. PRIVILEGE Speaker’s Policy on Interjections Mr SPEAKER: Honourable members, I refer to the matter of privilege raised by the member for Fassifern on Wednesday, 9 October concerning interjections. Strictly speaking, a member is entitled to be heard in silence and a member’s speech can be interrupted on only one of very few grounds. However, the practical reality of parliamentary debate is that members do not always sit quietly listening to the member speaking and may interrupt or interject another member’s speech by comment or questions of their own. That has become a well-established custom of the House. Legislative Assembly 1722 22 October 1991 However, it is the duty of the Speaker to keep interjections within reasonable bounds. A member speaking is under an obligation not to provoke interjections. If a member embarks on a course of questioning other members present in the Chamber, he is encouraging them to answer. A continuation of that behaviour is likely to draw the Chair’s attention and result in the member concerned being told to desist. A member may interject only from his own seat in the Chamber and not while standing or moving around the Chamber. An interjection should always be relevant to the matter under debate and, if it is irrelevant, should always be ignored by the member speaking. The main reason why interjections are permitted at all is that they can add to the debate by eliciting further information or testing arguments made. However, the Chair will intervene if a member interjecting tends to monopolise the time of the member speaking, and a member must cease interjecting when called to order by the Chair. Also, when an interjection is not acknowledged by the member speaking, the interjector must desist. PETITIONS The Acting Clerk announced the receipt of the following petitions— Child-care Legislation From Mr McElligott (50 signatories) praying that the Parliament will support the Child Care Bill 1991 and promote the development of associated regulations. A similar petition was received from Mr Palaszczuk (20 signatories). Capital Punishment From Mr Borbidge (12 signatories) praying for legislation to introduce capital punishment as a matter of urgency. Petitions received. PAPERS The following papers were laid on the table, and ordered to be printed— Reports for the year ended 30 June 1991— Queensland Police Service Bureau of Emergency Services President of the Industrial Court of Queensland Department of Business, Industry and Regional Development Queensland Small Business Corporation. The following papers were laid on the table— Orders in Council under— Second-hand Dealers and Collectors Act 1984 Gas Act 1965 Mineral Resources Act 1989 Credit Act 1987 Regulations under— Liquor Act 1912 Vocational Education, Training and Employment Act 1991 Reports for the year ended 30 June 1991— Central Queensland Racing Association Downs and South-Western Queensland Racing Association Rockhampton Jockey Club Royal Brisbane Hospital Foundation Trustees of the Funeral Benefit Trust Fund Proclamation under the Vocational Education, Training and Employment Act 1991. Legislative Assembly 1723 22 October 1991 MINISTERIAL STATEMENT Island Industries Board Annual Report Hon. A. M. WARNER (South Brisbane—Minister for Family Services and Aboriginal and Islander Affairs) (10.10 a.m.), by leave: I have given an extension of time to the Island Industries Board to furnish its annual report for the year ending 31 January 1991. The Island Industries Board is required to furnish its financial statements within two months of the close of its financial year and its annual report within four months. The board’s financial year ceases on 31 January each year. This year, the board has been late in submitting both its financial statements and its annual report, and it has been necessary for me to grant an extension of time for the board to complete these two documents. In the case of the financial statements, I approved an extension to 31 August 1991, and I also approved an extension to 31 October 1991 for the annual report to be furnished. I am able to approve these extensions in accordance with sections 46F and 46J of the Financial Administration and Audit Act. The Auditor-General has been consulted and agrees with the extensions. The accounts for the Island Industries Board were finalised at the end of March 1991. However, the accounting records required a number of substantial reconciliations and journal entries to correct previous errors in subsidiary and general ledger transactions. As a result of the delays with the finalisation of the accounts, it was not practical to commence the audit before 16 April 1991. After consultation between the financial controller of the Islands Industries Board and the auditor regarding format and compliance with the public finance standards, draft financial statements were available on 29 April 1991. However, further resources were required to audit these statements and substantial delays were experienced in finalising the documents to the satisfaction of the Auditor-General. The board’s financial statements were certified by the Auditor-General on 26 August 1991. As a result of the delays associated with the finalisation of the financial statements, it was not possible for the board to complete its annual report. Following certification of the financial statements, it will now be possible to conclude the annual report, and I expect to receive it before 31 October. Following receipt of the report, I will arrange for it to be tabled. MINISTERIAL STATEMENT Absence of Ministers during Question-time Hon. T. M. MACKENROTH (Chatsworth—Leader of the House) (10.12 a.m.): I have to inform the House that the Deputy Premier and the Minister for Transport will be absent from question- time this week. The Treasurer and the Minister for Primary Industries will be absent today because they are attending a Rural Adjustment Scheme meeting in Melbourne with the Honourable Simon Crean. Legislative Assembly 1724 22 October 1991 MOTION OF CONDOLENCE Death of Honourable Sir Alan Roy Fletcher Hon. W. K. GOSS (Logan—Premier, Minister for Economic and Trade Development and Minister for the Arts) (10.13 a.m.), by leave, without notice: I move— “1. That this House desires to place on record its appreciation of the services rendered to this State by the late Honourable Sir Alan Fletcher, a former Minister of the Crown and Speaker of the Parliament of Queensland. 2. That Mr Speaker be requested to convey to the widow and family of the deceased gentleman the above resolution, together with an expression of the sympathy and sorrow of the members of the Parliament of Queensland in the loss they have sustained.” Sir Alan Fletcher was a well-known and long-serving member of this House who served both in Opposition and in Government. His career as a member of this Assembly spanned 21 years and included terms as Speaker and also as a Minister of the Government. Sir Alan was born at Pittsworth in 1907. He was educated at Irongate State School and later attended Scots College in Warwick. Like his father, Sir Alan was a farmer involved mostly in dairy farming and grain-growing. He was elected to the Pittsworth Shire Council in 1945. For nine of his ten years as councillor he was chairman of the council. Like many other members of this House, Sir Alan graduated from local government to the wider sphere of State politics. In 1953, he entered State Parliament as the Country Party member for Cunningham. Four years later, with the change of Government at the 1957 State elections, Sir Alan became Speaker of the Queensland Parliament. According to Clem Lack, Alan Fletcher undertook his Speaker’s duties— “. with a high sense of the dignity, traditions and responsibilities of the office. He maintained the scrupulous impartiality implicit in the office of Speaker and strictly enforced the observance of the rules of debate.” Following the re-election of the Country/Liberal coalition in 1960 and the retirement of Mr Adolf Muller as Minister for Lands, Sir Alan took on that portfolio, a position to which—with his long experience in land and agricultural practice—he was well suited.