lThursday. 9th November, 19781 454751 Perhaps the Opposition will be less co-operative on matters, if we cannot even gel decent replies to Thtirsday. the 9th November, 1978 questions we ask in Committee. For those reasons, although I am) still not opposed to the 'lhc PRESIDENT (the Hon. Clive Griffihbsi Bill. mny reservations are stronger than they were took the Chair at 2.30 p.m,, and read prayers. when the debate began. RILES (6): ASSENT THE HON. G. C. MacKINNON (South-West- 12.49 p.m.I: I sait antI Message from the Governor received and read Leader of the House) a great deal of interest to a number notifying assent to the following Hills- listened with of matters discussed in the debate on ibis Hill 1. Pttblic Service Hill. because, as members will he aware. I had some 2, Acts- Amendment 4Puhlic Service) Hill. experience in the organisation of college con- 3. Shipping and Pitotage Act Amendment Bitt, mittees from the practical point of view. 4. Road Traffic Act Amendment Hill. There come,% at time when the only real answer 5. Consuimer Affairs Act Amendment Bill. to the question is the one which the Hon. David 6. iLaw Reform Commission Act Amendment Wordsworth gave in all good faith. His answer Bill. was that the way in which a particular policy is pursued by the party which wishes to pursue it QUESTIONS is by that party gaining a majority of seats in the Legislative Assembly and thereby obtaining the Quest ions were taken ait this stage. reins of government. A number of options is CONTROL. OF V EN CLES (OF-B-OA?) always open to at person. One sifts through those AREAS) HILL.1 options and chooses one, almost invariably on re- commendation. The options are placed before the Receipt and First Readling Minister; the Minister selects the one which he Hill received from the Assembly; and, on motion or she prefers, and if nece.s-ary the Minister sends by the Hon. G. C, MacKinnon (L~eader of the it to Cabinet. That is the way things are done. House I. read a first timie. The attitude adopted by the Hon. Robert Hetherington wats, I thnugbt, pretty iconoclastic, COtA.ECES HtILL His attituide did not display at knowledge of even Third kRedinje the recent history of some of the college boards. THE HON. Q. C. MacKINNON (.South-West- The Hon. R. Hetherington: That certainly was not in tine with anything the Minister said. L~eader or the Houset 12.47 p.m.t: I move- That the Bill be now read a third timec. The Hon. G. C. MacKINNON: There are occa- sions when Ministers are reluictant to provide THE HON. R. HETHERINGTON (East Metropolitn 12.48 p.m.]: When I spoke in the information which is requested. There was some second reading debate on this Hill S said the bother the other day about exactly that sort of Opposition suipported it with reservations. This situiation when the Hon. Roy Claughton saw fit remains the case, bitt my reservations are now to read in this House a letter from a headmaster. stronger than they were when the debate began. The Hon. R. Hetherington: Do not try to What perturbed me abotut the debate was the wriggle out of that cine. cavalier way in which the Minister for tLands, The Hon. G. C. MacKINNON: I am not trying who wats speaking on behalf of the Minister for Ito wriggle out of that one. Since that time, my Education, rejected any suggestions pat forward office telephone has been jammed with calls from by the Opposition. He failed to answer any parents ringing to support the statement I made. questions I asked, and at one stage made the Most of' those telephone catlls have been anony- statement that I would learn that the Westminster motis. There has not been a single telephone call Model SLuggested that the people with the ntumber% in support of either Mr Claughton or Mr Nether- have their way. Certainty the way he treatedl ingt on. this Kill was at crude expression of the Use Of numbers, bcauise he offered me no argtument, The Hon, F. E. McKenzie: They have all gone: no explanation, or anything etse. to Mr Hetherington and Mr Claughton. If that is the best the Minister for tLands Can The Hon. 6. C. MacKINNC)N: If that is so. do then in future he can expect from me less they may have bud two or three calls. I ami stating respect than I have accorded him) in the past. the position so far as my office is concerned. 4752 4752COU NCt .1 The Hon. R. Hetherington: Your statement was Mr Hetherington interjected. disgraceful. The Hon. G. C. MaicKiNNON: I am not talking The Hon. G. C. MacKINNON: The most inept nonsense. This sort of thing is alien to the statement I think I have ever heard in this place member's cerebral processes. was the one which indicated that there would be The Hon. R. F. Clattghton: You are just talking no politics on the boards. I would like the Hon. rubbish. Grace Vaughan to speak about the politics- The IHon. G. C. MacKINNON: The Minister The Hon. R. Hetherington: That was not what was patience itself. He gave ample Opportunity I said: but of course you could not stick to the for discussion. A situation was reached where it truth. was pointless to allow the matter to go any further. The Hon. C. C. MacKINNON: I do not mean He gave a pragmatic and practical answer. party politics. I am talking about the sort of I commend the Bill to the House. politics within the framework of the actual col- Question put and passed. lege itself. Bill read a third time and passed. The Hon. R. Hetherington: I spoke about the college- APPROPRIATION BILL (CONSOLIDATED The I-on. G. C. MacKINNON: Mr Hetherintg- REVENUE FUND) ton is making sure that what he is -saying is Consideration of Tabled Paper recorded in Han-sard although nobody else can hear him. Debate resumed from the 2nd November. The Hon. R. Hetherington: I am saying that you THE HON. LYLA ELLIOTT (North-East misrepresented what I said. Metropolitan) [2.56 p.m.1: There is a number The PRESIDENT: Order! of matters I wish to deal with this afternoon. My first concern is in relation to housing. The Hon. G. C. MacKiNNON: I am not mis- No subject provides clearer evidence of the representing what the member said. I am just way in which a Government regards the impor- making a plain statement of fact. tance of the well-being of families than does its The Hon. R. Hetherington: You had better go actions and attitudes in relation to housing. The back and read the tirmiard report to find out- present Government should be strongly criticised The PRESIDENT: Order! on this issue. The relentless fall in the number of State Housing Commission homes being built is The Hon. 0. C. MacKINNON: I think the Mdin- absolutely scandalous. ister was patience personified- Let us look at the statistics. During the years The Hon. R. Hetherington: Nonsense! of the three Ton kin Government Budgets from The Hon. R. F. Claughton: All the Leader of 1971 to 1974 there were 2 254 housing units built the House is doing is giving a lot of misinforma- under the State Housing Act. If memnbers were to lion- make the calculation, they would arrive at an The Hon. R. Hetherington, Hie could not explain average of 75) units a year. In the four years of any of it, because he did not know what it was the Court Government, that Government has built about. only 1 161 units under this Act, and that figure averages out to 290 a year. It has dropped from The Hion. G. C. MttcKlNNON: I can recall a 751. This year, the Government will not build situation similar to this one. That occurred when any housing units at all under the State Housing the Hon. Gerald Wild was the Minister for Act. Labour. I-e was trying to amend the Arbitration During the three years of the Tonkin Govern- Act. There was a provision in the amending Bill ment, there were 3 543 units built under the Corn- with regard to voluntary unionism, nmonwealth and State Housing Agreement. In the Ihad a conference with unionists in Bunbury. fotir years of this Government, that figure dropped There was a man named Young at that meeting, to 2 689. In this year, the number built will be and he was totally opposed to that amendment. 313. He said, "This one will never get off the ground." Let us look at the statistics in relation to ap- I said, "it will, you know:' He said, "Our party plicants to see whether there is a continuing de- is not in favour of it." I said, "We are wasting mand, or whether the demand might have de- time talking about it." He agreed. It is a waste creased. Members may remember I asked a ques- of time talking about such things. tion recently in relation to housing. The Minister [Thursday, 91h November, 19781 454753 told us that at the moment there are 6 743 aip- The H-on. LYLA ELLIOTT: For Mr Oliver's plicants for the rental of homes, and 6471 ap- benefit I am pointing out that under both the plicants for the purchase of homes. There is Commonwealth and State Housing Agreement some degree of duplication in those figures.