WESTERN AUSTRALIA Parliamentary Debates (HANSARD) THIRTY-FIFTH PARLIAMENT FIRST SESSION 1997 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Tuesday, 19 August 1997 4903 Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 19 August 1997 THE SPEAKER (Mr Strickland) took the Chair at 2.00 pm, and read prayers. STATEMENT - SPEAKER Format of Notice Paper THE SPEAKER (Mr Strickland): I draw members' attention to the Notice Paper of the House and advise that some minor changes have been made to the format. These changes take up some of the recommendations of the Select Committee on Procedure and are aimed at clarifying the categories of business, as well as listing the standard routine of business at the commencement of each sitting. The Select Committee on Procedure recommended some other changes, and after the House has seen responses from the Government and heard the views of the Opposition on the procedure committee's report, there is significant prospect of improving the business flow further. The new categories are as follows - Bills - Notices of Motion Government Business - Notices of Motion Government Business - Orders of the Day Private Members' Business - Notices of Motion Private Members' Business - Orders of the Day Select Committees to Report References to Standing Committees. There is no change to the Notices and Amendments section or to Questions on Notice. Please note that the numbering of notices of motion and orders of the day start from 1 within each of those categories; for example, Government Business - Notices of Motion will be numbered from 1 onwards, and Private Members' Business - Notices of Motion will be numbered from 1 onwards. The same applies to the categories of orders of the day. When members refer to an item of business they must refer to the category and the number within that category. Members will be interested to know that the Standing Orders and Procedure Committee is undertaking a thorough review of the standing orders, and further proposals may still result from that review. PETITION - SCHOOL CLEANING SERVICES DR GALLOP (Victoria Park - Leader of the Opposition) [2.03 pm]: I present the following petition - To the Honourable the Speaker and members of the Legislative Assembly in Parliament assembled. We the undersigned petitioners call on the State Government to reverse its policy on contracting out school cleaning services in that it undermines standards and accountability for this important part of a school community. Your petitioners therefore humbly pray that you will give this matter earnest consideration and your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray. The petition bears 38 signatures and I certify that it conforms to the standing orders of the Legislative Assembly. The SPEAKER: I direct that the petition be brought to the Table of the House. [See petition No 71.] PETITION - HAZARDOUS LIQUID WASTE DISPOSAL PLANT MR THOMAS (Cockburn) [2.04 pm]: I present the following petition - To the Honourable the Speaker and members of the Legislative Assembly in Parliament assembled. We the undersigned citizens of Western Australia wish to register our strongest possible protest over the building of a hazardous liquid waste disposal plant, at Lot 197 Cocos Drive Bibra Lake, in an area that should be clearly defined as light industrial. This proposal places both our houses and schools in a potentially dangerous situation. 499004 [ASSEMBLY] We hereby request that the Minister for the Environment urgently review the proposal of the granting of a licence to build this plant. Your petitioners therefore humbly pray that you will give this matter earnest consideration and your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray. The petition bears 20 signatures and I certify that it conforms to the standing orders of the Legislative Assembly. The SPEAKER: I direct that the petition be brought to the Table of the House. [See petition No 72.] PETITION - PUBLIC TRANSPORT FARES MS WARNOCK (Perth) [2.05 pm]: I present the following petition - To the Honourable the Speaker and members of the Legislative Assembly in Parliament assembled. We the undersigned petitioners call on the State Government to reverse their increases in public transport fares and the changes to concession fares and time constraints on transfers as they will impact most severely on pensioners, the unemployed and other low income earners. Your petitioners therefore humbly pray that you will give this matter earnest consideration and your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray. The petition bears 26 signatures and I certify that it conforms to the standing orders of the Legislative Assembly. The SPEAKER: I direct that the petition be brought to the Table of the House. [See petition No 73.] A similar petition was presented by Dr Gallop (27 signatures). [See petition No 77.] PETITION - MAJOR BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT POLL MR HOUSE (Stirling - Minister for Primary Industry) [2.06 pm]: I present the following petition - To the Honourable the Speaker and members of the Legislative Assembly in Parliament assembled. We, the undersigned being ratepayers, residents and electors of the Shire of Albany respectfully request that, should the Local Government Advisory Board recommend there be a major boundary adjustment affecting the Shire of Albany, then the Board's recommendation be put to a poll of electors affected by the recommendation and that the results of the poll be then binding on the Minister for Local Government when the elector turnout of any of the affected districts exceeds 50%. Your petitioners therefore humbly pray that you will give this matter earnest consideration and your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray. The petition bears 2 613 signatures and I certify that it conforms to the standing orders of the Legislative Assembly. The SPEAKER: I direct that the petition be brought to the Table of the House. [See petition No 74.] PETITION - WEEKEND BUS SERVICE MRS van de KLASHORST (Swan Hills - Parliamentary Secretary) [2.07 pm]: I present the following petition - To the Honourable the Speaker and members of the Legislative Assembly in Parliament assembled. We, the undersigned people of Western Australia wish to express our need to have a weekend bus service to and from Wooroloo and Wundowie areas to connect with trains at Midland. Furthermore we would like to see the present week day service altered to give a more effective and efficient service. Your petitioners therefore humbly pray that you will give this matter earnest consideration and your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray. The petition bears 312 signatures and I certify that it conforms to the standing orders of the Legislative Assembly. [Tuesday, 19 August 1997] 4905 The SPEAKER: I direct that the petition be brought to the Table of the House. [See petition No 75.] PETITION - GUILDERTON REGIONAL PARK MR McGOWAN (Rockingham) [2.08 pm]: I present the following petition - To the Honourable the Speaker and members of the Legislative Assembly in Parliament assembled. We the undersigned respectfully request that the Government establish a Regional Park immediately to the south of Guilderton in order to protect the mouth and lower reaches of the Moore River and the significant dunes and coastal heathland south of the mouth of the Moore River. We request that the Government take urgent action to acquire this land before it is further rezoned or developed, and your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray. The petition bears 115 signatures and I certify that it conforms to the standing orders of the Legislative Assembly. The SPEAKER: I direct that the petition be brought to the Table of the House. [See petition No 76.] PETITION - WA POLICE ACADEMY MR BAKER (Joondalup) [2.09 pm]: I present the following petition - To the Honourable the Speaker and members of the Legislative Assembly in Parliament assembled. We, the undersigned, hereby respectfully urge that the proposed new WA Police Academy be located in Joondalup. Joondalup has excellent tertiary education, health, transport, retail business, civic and recreational facilities and such relocation would also greatly improve local employment prospects, particularly for our youth. Your petitioners therefore humbly pray that you will give this matter earnest consideration and your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray. The petition bears 1 270 signatures and I certify that it conforms to the standing orders of the Legislative Assembly. The SPEAKER: I direct that the petition be brought to the Table of the House. [See petition No 78.] PETITION - BUS FARES MR McGOWAN (Rockingham) [2.10 pm]: I present the following petition - To the Honourable the Speaker and members of the Legislative Assembly in Parliament assembled. We the undersigned, wish to register a complaint that the all day tickets can not be purchased prior to 9.00 for travel on the buses. This will mean that people who have appointments in Perth, whether they be medical appointments or otherwise will have to pay a lot more money than they would have to pay by using the all day fare. The same will apply for any commuters, including school children. Public Transport should be there to assist people not as a revenue raising exercise. Your petitioners therefore humbly pray that you will give this matter earnest consideration and your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray. The petition bears 43 signatures and I certify that it conforms to the standing orders of the Legislative Assembly. The SPEAKER: I direct that the petition be brought to the Table of the House. [See petition No 79.] TABLED PAPER - CORRECTION THE SPEAKER (Mr Strickland): I have received a request from the Auditor General to amend the report of the Auditor General entitled "The Western Australian Public Health Sector", report No 2 - June 1997, which was tabled 499006 [ASSEMBLY] in the House on 11 June 1997. The error occurs at page 23 in figure 6: Number of leave deferrals in 1995-96 as a proportion of staff.