❓ Opposition questions Premier about protocols for government vehicle misuse (intoxicated driving), referencing a prior incident involving the Member for Vasse. Premier deflects, accusing the opposition of unsubstantiated claims and defending the handling of the incident.
AnsweredQoN 296Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
MEMBER FOR
VASSE — ROAD TRAFFIC INCIDENT
296. Mr B.S. WYATT to the
Premier:
I refer to the criticism of the Premier's department
by the member for Vasse about the lack of protocols in relation to the handling
of suspicious mail by electorate staff, and to the Premier's answer to a
question earlier today that his responsibility is for ''the use of
government property''.
(1) Does the
Premier's department have any protocols in relation to the crashing of
a government vehicle while intoxicated?
(2) If so, what are those protocols, and what obligation —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Pilbara, I call you to order for the second time. Member for
Victoria Park, I call you to order for the first time. I want to hear this
question and I want to hear an answer.
Mr B.S. WYATT : My
question is —
(1) Does the
Premier's department have any protocols in relation to the crashing of
a government vehicle while intoxicated?
(2) If so,
what are those protocols and what obligation does the driver have in relation
to that government property?
VASSE — ROAD TRAFFIC INCIDENT
296. Mr B.S. WYATT to the
Premier:
I refer to the criticism of the Premier's department
by the member for Vasse about the lack of protocols in relation to the handling
of suspicious mail by electorate staff, and to the Premier's answer to a
question earlier today that his responsibility is for ''the use of
government property''.
(1) Does the
Premier's department have any protocols in relation to the crashing of
a government vehicle while intoxicated?
(2) If so, what are those protocols, and what obligation —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Pilbara, I call you to order for the second time. Member for
Victoria Park, I call you to order for the first time. I want to hear this
question and I want to hear an answer.
Mr B.S. WYATT : My
question is —
(1) Does the
Premier's department have any protocols in relation to the crashing of
a government vehicle while intoxicated?
(2) If so,
what are those protocols and what obligation does the driver have in relation
to that government property?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2)
There are procedures that relate to unidentified substances received by
ministers and members of Parliament. That was a hoax, but it certainly cost the
police service and the state taxpayer a great deal of money and caused
inconvenience to the community. In the member for Riverton's
electorate, it basically closed down a shopping centre. Unfortunately, threats,
hoaxes, intimidation, attacks on electorate offices and the like have become
more prevalent in our community. The government treats that very seriously
through both police agencies and the Department of the Premier and Cabinet.
Again, opposition members continue
down this path, and they can do that if they wish to. It is up to the member
for Vasse to add anything further if he wishes to. He faced charges from the
police following an investigation. He pleaded guilty and he was found to be
guilty of careless driving charges and failing to stop and failing to report an
accident. That was the decision of the police to do so. I find the behaviour
and terminology used by members opposite somewhat offensive, but it is their
choice if they wish to continue down that path.
Mr
M. McGowan interjected.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : When the Leader of the Opposition compares a member of
Parliament to bikies or drug dealers, I find it offensive and —
Mr
M. McGowan interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
Again by his interjection the Leader of the Opposition implies that there are
two sets of standards here.
Mr
M. McGowan : There are!
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
The Leader of the Opposition should give me any evidence he has of interference
in the police investigation and any evidence he has that the member for Vasse
as a driver was treated any differently under the law from any other citizen.
He should give me any evidence he can that the member for Vasse was treated any
differently under the justice system from any other citizen. If he has that,
bring it forward, Leader of the Opposition. He does not. All he does is get on
to the media and make all sorts of accusations with no further evidence.
Yes, there are requirements and
rules relating to government property, including a vehicle. The damage to the
vehicle was always going to become common knowledge because, obviously, it is a
government-owned vehicle.
Mr
M. McGowan : It was never going to be exposed for what it was—two
weeks!
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : Again, give me evidence! The opposition makes all these
accusations about a cover-up and the like. The opposition has not produced one
piece of evidence to support that because there was no cover-up. The opposition
has never been able to substantiate anything. It goes to the media and makes
wild accusations and it can never ever substantiate them.
I return to the member for Victoria
Park's question about the vehicle. Damage to a government vehicle is
handled by the government's insurer, RiskCover. There was damage to
other vehicles and one of the owners of those vehicles has approached RiskCover
over that. There will be a process.
Mr
M. McGowan interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, I call you to order for the second time.
Ms
M.M. Quirk interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Girrawheen, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
RiskCover will seek advice if it sees fit to do so. It will follow the normal
procedure relating to the damage to any government vehicle or any other
property, and if there are claims made by insurers or other third parties for
the other vehicles that were damaged, they will in due course no doubt contact
RiskCover. RiskCover will deal with that according to normal process if it
chooses to do so, on advice, and it may well seek to recover costs, but that
decision will be made on legal advice and after negotiations between insurers
under the normal process of RiskCover. Again, it will be dealt with in the same
way as any other situation. If the Leader of the Opposition wants me to
compromise the police, the courts and the insurance industry, can he please
tell me.
There are procedures that relate to unidentified substances received by
ministers and members of Parliament. That was a hoax, but it certainly cost the
police service and the state taxpayer a great deal of money and caused
inconvenience to the community. In the member for Riverton's
electorate, it basically closed down a shopping centre. Unfortunately, threats,
hoaxes, intimidation, attacks on electorate offices and the like have become
more prevalent in our community. The government treats that very seriously
through both police agencies and the Department of the Premier and Cabinet.
Again, opposition members continue
down this path, and they can do that if they wish to. It is up to the member
for Vasse to add anything further if he wishes to. He faced charges from the
police following an investigation. He pleaded guilty and he was found to be
guilty of careless driving charges and failing to stop and failing to report an
accident. That was the decision of the police to do so. I find the behaviour
and terminology used by members opposite somewhat offensive, but it is their
choice if they wish to continue down that path.
Mr
M. McGowan interjected.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : When the Leader of the Opposition compares a member of
Parliament to bikies or drug dealers, I find it offensive and —
Mr
M. McGowan interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
Again by his interjection the Leader of the Opposition implies that there are
two sets of standards here.
Mr
M. McGowan : There are!
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
The Leader of the Opposition should give me any evidence he has of interference
in the police investigation and any evidence he has that the member for Vasse
as a driver was treated any differently under the law from any other citizen.
He should give me any evidence he can that the member for Vasse was treated any
differently under the justice system from any other citizen. If he has that,
bring it forward, Leader of the Opposition. He does not. All he does is get on
to the media and make all sorts of accusations with no further evidence.
Yes, there are requirements and
rules relating to government property, including a vehicle. The damage to the
vehicle was always going to become common knowledge because, obviously, it is a
government-owned vehicle.
Mr
M. McGowan : It was never going to be exposed for what it was—two
weeks!
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : Again, give me evidence! The opposition makes all these
accusations about a cover-up and the like. The opposition has not produced one
piece of evidence to support that because there was no cover-up. The opposition
has never been able to substantiate anything. It goes to the media and makes
wild accusations and it can never ever substantiate them.
I return to the member for Victoria
Park's question about the vehicle. Damage to a government vehicle is
handled by the government's insurer, RiskCover. There was damage to
other vehicles and one of the owners of those vehicles has approached RiskCover
over that. There will be a process.
Mr
M. McGowan interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition, I call you to order for the second time.
Ms
M.M. Quirk interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Girrawheen, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
RiskCover will seek advice if it sees fit to do so. It will follow the normal
procedure relating to the damage to any government vehicle or any other
property, and if there are claims made by insurers or other third parties for
the other vehicles that were damaged, they will in due course no doubt contact
RiskCover. RiskCover will deal with that according to normal process if it
chooses to do so, on advice, and it may well seek to recover costs, but that
decision will be made on legal advice and after negotiations between insurers
under the normal process of RiskCover. Again, it will be dealt with in the same
way as any other situation. If the Leader of the Opposition wants me to
compromise the police, the courts and the insurance industry, can he please
tell me.
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