❓ Ms. Saffioti questions the appropriateness of a Liberal Party 500 Club function at the Premier's office. Premier Barnett defends the practice, citing established rules for party functions in public facilities.
AnsweredQoN 997Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
500 CLUB FUNCTION — PREMIER'S
OFFICE — HALE HOUSE
997. Ms R. SAFFIOTI to the Premier:
I refer to the advertised function
for the Liberal Party's 500 Club to be held at the Premier's
Hale House office on 3 December. Is it appropriate that the chairman and
executive committee of the 500 Club invite guests to a 500 Club function to be
held at the Premier's taxpayer-funded office?
OFFICE — HALE HOUSE
997. Ms R. SAFFIOTI to the Premier:
I refer to the advertised function
for the Liberal Party's 500 Club to be held at the Premier's
Hale House office on 3 December. Is it appropriate that the chairman and
executive committee of the 500 Club invite guests to a 500 Club function to be
held at the Premier's taxpayer-funded office?
AnswerView source ↗
Yes, I think it is, and let me tell
the member why.
Mr
M. McGowan : No standards.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : No standards from you? Give us a break. Some members —
Several members interjected.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : Mr Speaker, this is just pointless.
The
SPEAKER : Order, members!
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : Some members might recall that shortly after I became
Premier, I introduced a provision in terms of the use of public facilities, in
particular Parliament House itself, with the agreement of the Speaker and the
President. That was that each of the major parties could, on one occasion a
year, host a function in Parliament House, and the requirement for that was
that the full cost be met by the outside group—whatever it might be—and
that it could not be used as a fundraiser.
Ms
M.M. Quirk interjected.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : Mr Speaker, this is pointless.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : The member should know what the rules are.
Mr
M. McGowan interjected.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : I am trying to answer the question and I am addressing the
Chair. The rule that was introduced with the agreement of the President and the
Speaker was that each of the major parties, and I presume a minor party too, if
it wished to do so, could have a function here—one only per year—involving
an outside group, which could be a political party. I have hosted functions for
the Liberal Party here. But there is only one per party per year, to be fully
funded from outside, and, indeed, it is not to be in any way a profit raiser;
it simply has to have a price to cover the cost. That has been in practice for
several years. Each year the Liberal Party has probably done that. We have had
the Liberal Party itself, and we have previously had the 500 Club, I think, in
the Parliament. That has been the practice.
I do not know whether the National Party has done that. There
was a National Party event last night. I do not know whether the Labor Party
has even taken advantage of it, but it is there, with strict criteria proposed
by the government and accepted by the Parliament. The same thing applies to my
office, and why not?
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members! Leader of the Opposition and member for Cockburn, I call
you to order for the first time. I want this question answered and brought to a
conclusion.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : The same criteria has applied —
Mr
P. Papalia interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Warnbro, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr
M. McGowan interjected.
Mr
M. McGowan : Leader of the Opposition, I call you to order for the second
time.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : The same arrangement applies to Hale House, 1 Parliament
Place, the office of Premier and the cabinet secretariat. The criteria are: as
the Premier, I am hosting the event and the full cost is met by the 500 Club
and it cannot be a fundraiser.
Mr
M. McGowan : It is a fundraiser.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : It is not a fundraiser.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition and member for Midland!
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : It is not a fundraiser at all. The 500 Club will meet the
full cost of the function and it will not be a fundraiser. It cannot charge
above the cost. That is the rule. The member for Cockburn said, ''What
about the Labor Party?'' If the member wishes to organise an event in
the courtyard, he can do so, and members of the Labor Party can visit. I make
the offer to the member, but the Labor Party will have to pay its way. If the
member wants to invite guests to see the office of the Premier and the cabinet
room, he is free to do so.
the member why.
Mr
M. McGowan : No standards.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : No standards from you? Give us a break. Some members —
Several members interjected.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : Mr Speaker, this is just pointless.
The
SPEAKER : Order, members!
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : Some members might recall that shortly after I became
Premier, I introduced a provision in terms of the use of public facilities, in
particular Parliament House itself, with the agreement of the Speaker and the
President. That was that each of the major parties could, on one occasion a
year, host a function in Parliament House, and the requirement for that was
that the full cost be met by the outside group—whatever it might be—and
that it could not be used as a fundraiser.
Ms
M.M. Quirk interjected.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : Mr Speaker, this is pointless.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : The member should know what the rules are.
Mr
M. McGowan interjected.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : I am trying to answer the question and I am addressing the
Chair. The rule that was introduced with the agreement of the President and the
Speaker was that each of the major parties, and I presume a minor party too, if
it wished to do so, could have a function here—one only per year—involving
an outside group, which could be a political party. I have hosted functions for
the Liberal Party here. But there is only one per party per year, to be fully
funded from outside, and, indeed, it is not to be in any way a profit raiser;
it simply has to have a price to cover the cost. That has been in practice for
several years. Each year the Liberal Party has probably done that. We have had
the Liberal Party itself, and we have previously had the 500 Club, I think, in
the Parliament. That has been the practice.
I do not know whether the National Party has done that. There
was a National Party event last night. I do not know whether the Labor Party
has even taken advantage of it, but it is there, with strict criteria proposed
by the government and accepted by the Parliament. The same thing applies to my
office, and why not?
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members! Leader of the Opposition and member for Cockburn, I call
you to order for the first time. I want this question answered and brought to a
conclusion.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : The same criteria has applied —
Mr
P. Papalia interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Warnbro, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr
M. McGowan interjected.
Mr
M. McGowan : Leader of the Opposition, I call you to order for the second
time.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : The same arrangement applies to Hale House, 1 Parliament
Place, the office of Premier and the cabinet secretariat. The criteria are: as
the Premier, I am hosting the event and the full cost is met by the 500 Club
and it cannot be a fundraiser.
Mr
M. McGowan : It is a fundraiser.
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : It is not a fundraiser.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition and member for Midland!
Mr
C.J. BARNETT : It is not a fundraiser at all. The 500 Club will meet the
full cost of the function and it will not be a fundraiser. It cannot charge
above the cost. That is the rule. The member for Cockburn said, ''What
about the Labor Party?'' If the member wishes to organise an event in
the courtyard, he can do so, and members of the Labor Party can visit. I make
the offer to the member, but the Labor Party will have to pay its way. If the
member wants to invite guests to see the office of the Premier and the cabinet
room, he is free to do so.
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