❓ Opposition questions the Premier regarding lack of compensation for rock lobster fishing industry due to changed licence conditions and alleged false assertions. Premier defends the decision based on scientific advice and apologizes for causing offence.
AnsweredQoN 173Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ROCK LOBSTER FISHING INDUSTRY — LICENCE CHANGES
I welcome members of the Fishing Industry Women’s Association of Western Australia who are in the gallery today. (1) Will the Premier explain why the government is refusing to compensate the rock lobster fishing industry for the real financial damage caused by changing licence conditions in the middle of the season? (2) Will the Premier apologise to the members of the Fishing Industry Women’s Association for his false assertions that have damaged their reputation and belittled the valuable contribution they have made to this vital industry? Mr C.J. BARNETT
I welcome members of the Fishing Industry Women’s Association of Western Australia who are in the gallery today. (1) Will the Premier explain why the government is refusing to compensate the rock lobster fishing industry for the real financial damage caused by changing licence conditions in the middle of the season? (2) Will the Premier apologise to the members of the Fishing Industry Women’s Association for his false assertions that have damaged their reputation and belittled the valuable contribution they have made to this vital industry? Mr C.J. BARNETT
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(2) The first part of the question related to the restrictions on the rock lobster catch. The rock lobster fishery is an incredibly important industry to this state, particularly in regional areas. As members would be aware, the puerulus count—I think that is the correct term—was virtually zero at the beginning of this season. That is an indicator of future catches and has a high degree of reliability. In the wake of that scientific evidence, the minister responsible, Hon Norman Moore, and the government had no option but to restrict the catch. I recognise that that is causing some hardship and a substantial loss of income for many fishermen, at a time when the market, in both demand and price, is substantially down. However, is the Labor Party saying that we should ignore that scientific and environmental advice? Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is the Labor Party saying that we should simply allow the catch of rock lobster to continue at the same level, and ignore the scientific and professional advice that the catch needs to be restricted? Where does the Labor Party stand on this issue? Does the Labor Party stand for increased catches this year, or for reduced catches, as the government has announced? Mr E.S. Ripper : That is not the point. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is a fair question. Where does the Labor Party stand on this issue? Does the Labor Party support the restriction in catch that we have put in place? Yes or no? Mr E.S. Ripper : Yes. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Okay. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We have made public statements to that effect. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is that so? Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Without doubt. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Without doubt. The decision by this government and by the Minister for Fisheries is the responsible decision. In terms of compensation, I recognise the loss of revenue and the hardship. However, it is not a matter of compensation. These people operate under a licence arrangement. The long-term interest of the government has to be to preserve that fishery. That is not a case for compensation. Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
(1) Will the Premier explain why the government is refusing to compensate the rock lobster fishing industry for the real financial damage caused by changing licence conditions in the middle of the season? (2) Will the Premier apologise to the members of the Fishing Industry Women’s Association for his false assertions that have damaged their reputation and belittled the valuable contribution they have made to this vital industry? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(2) The first part of the question related to the restrictions on the rock lobster catch. The rock lobster fishery is an incredibly important industry to this state, particularly in regional areas. As members would be aware, the puerulus count—I think that is the correct term—was virtually zero at the beginning of this season. That is an indicator of future catches and has a high degree of reliability. In the wake of that scientific evidence, the minister responsible, Hon Norman Moore, and the government had no option but to restrict the catch. I recognise that that is causing some hardship and a substantial loss of income for many fishermen, at a time when the market, in both demand and price, is substantially down. However, is the Labor Party saying that we should ignore that scientific and environmental advice? Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is the Labor Party saying that we should simply allow the catch of rock lobster to continue at the same level, and ignore the scientific and professional advice that the catch needs to be restricted? Where does the Labor Party stand on this issue? Does the Labor Party stand for increased catches this year, or for reduced catches, as the government has announced? Mr E.S. Ripper : That is not the point. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is a fair question. Where does the Labor Party stand on this issue? Does the Labor Party support the restriction in catch that we have put in place? Yes or no? Mr E.S. Ripper : Yes. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Okay. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We have made public statements to that effect. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is that so? Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Without doubt. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Without doubt. The decision by this government and by the Minister for Fisheries is the responsible decision. In terms of compensation, I recognise the loss of revenue and the hardship. However, it is not a matter of compensation. These people operate under a licence arrangement. The long-term interest of the government has to be to preserve that fishery. That is not a case for compensation. Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
(2) Will the Premier apologise to the members of the Fishing Industry Women’s Association for his false assertions that have damaged their reputation and belittled the valuable contribution they have made to this vital industry? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(2) The first part of the question related to the restrictions on the rock lobster catch. The rock lobster fishery is an incredibly important industry to this state, particularly in regional areas. As members would be aware, the puerulus count—I think that is the correct term—was virtually zero at the beginning of this season. That is an indicator of future catches and has a high degree of reliability. In the wake of that scientific evidence, the minister responsible, Hon Norman Moore, and the government had no option but to restrict the catch. I recognise that that is causing some hardship and a substantial loss of income for many fishermen, at a time when the market, in both demand and price, is substantially down. However, is the Labor Party saying that we should ignore that scientific and environmental advice? Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is the Labor Party saying that we should simply allow the catch of rock lobster to continue at the same level, and ignore the scientific and professional advice that the catch needs to be restricted? Where does the Labor Party stand on this issue? Does the Labor Party stand for increased catches this year, or for reduced catches, as the government has announced? Mr E.S. Ripper : That is not the point. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is a fair question. Where does the Labor Party stand on this issue? Does the Labor Party support the restriction in catch that we have put in place? Yes or no? Mr E.S. Ripper : Yes. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Okay. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We have made public statements to that effect. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is that so? Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Without doubt. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Without doubt. The decision by this government and by the Minister for Fisheries is the responsible decision. In terms of compensation, I recognise the loss of revenue and the hardship. However, it is not a matter of compensation. These people operate under a licence arrangement. The long-term interest of the government has to be to preserve that fishery. That is not a case for compensation. Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(2) The first part of the question related to the restrictions on the rock lobster catch. The rock lobster fishery is an incredibly important industry to this state, particularly in regional areas. As members would be aware, the puerulus count—I think that is the correct term—was virtually zero at the beginning of this season. That is an indicator of future catches and has a high degree of reliability. In the wake of that scientific evidence, the minister responsible, Hon Norman Moore, and the government had no option but to restrict the catch. I recognise that that is causing some hardship and a substantial loss of income for many fishermen, at a time when the market, in both demand and price, is substantially down. However, is the Labor Party saying that we should ignore that scientific and environmental advice? Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is the Labor Party saying that we should simply allow the catch of rock lobster to continue at the same level, and ignore the scientific and professional advice that the catch needs to be restricted? Where does the Labor Party stand on this issue? Does the Labor Party stand for increased catches this year, or for reduced catches, as the government has announced? Mr E.S. Ripper : That is not the point. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is a fair question. Where does the Labor Party stand on this issue? Does the Labor Party support the restriction in catch that we have put in place? Yes or no? Mr E.S. Ripper : Yes. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Okay. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We have made public statements to that effect. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is that so? Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Without doubt. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Without doubt. The decision by this government and by the Minister for Fisheries is the responsible decision. In terms of compensation, I recognise the loss of revenue and the hardship. However, it is not a matter of compensation. These people operate under a licence arrangement. The long-term interest of the government has to be to preserve that fishery. That is not a case for compensation. Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
(1)-(2) The first part of the question related to the restrictions on the rock lobster catch. The rock lobster fishery is an incredibly important industry to this state, particularly in regional areas. As members would be aware, the puerulus count—I think that is the correct term—was virtually zero at the beginning of this season. That is an indicator of future catches and has a high degree of reliability. In the wake of that scientific evidence, the minister responsible, Hon Norman Moore, and the government had no option but to restrict the catch. I recognise that that is causing some hardship and a substantial loss of income for many fishermen, at a time when the market, in both demand and price, is substantially down. However, is the Labor Party saying that we should ignore that scientific and environmental advice? Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is the Labor Party saying that we should simply allow the catch of rock lobster to continue at the same level, and ignore the scientific and professional advice that the catch needs to be restricted? Where does the Labor Party stand on this issue? Does the Labor Party stand for increased catches this year, or for reduced catches, as the government has announced? Mr E.S. Ripper : That is not the point. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is a fair question. Where does the Labor Party stand on this issue? Does the Labor Party support the restriction in catch that we have put in place? Yes or no? Mr E.S. Ripper : Yes. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Okay. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We have made public statements to that effect. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is that so? Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Without doubt. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Without doubt. The decision by this government and by the Minister for Fisheries is the responsible decision. In terms of compensation, I recognise the loss of revenue and the hardship. However, it is not a matter of compensation. These people operate under a licence arrangement. The long-term interest of the government has to be to preserve that fishery. That is not a case for compensation. Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is the Labor Party saying that we should simply allow the catch of rock lobster to continue at the same level, and ignore the scientific and professional advice that the catch needs to be restricted? Where does the Labor Party stand on this issue? Does the Labor Party stand for increased catches this year, or for reduced catches, as the government has announced? Mr E.S. Ripper : That is not the point. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is a fair question. Where does the Labor Party stand on this issue? Does the Labor Party support the restriction in catch that we have put in place? Yes or no? Mr E.S. Ripper : Yes. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Okay. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We have made public statements to that effect. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is that so? Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Without doubt. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Without doubt. The decision by this government and by the Minister for Fisheries is the responsible decision. In terms of compensation, I recognise the loss of revenue and the hardship. However, it is not a matter of compensation. These people operate under a licence arrangement. The long-term interest of the government has to be to preserve that fishery. That is not a case for compensation. Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is the Labor Party saying that we should simply allow the catch of rock lobster to continue at the same level, and ignore the scientific and professional advice that the catch needs to be restricted? Where does the Labor Party stand on this issue? Does the Labor Party stand for increased catches this year, or for reduced catches, as the government has announced? Mr E.S. Ripper : That is not the point. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is a fair question. Where does the Labor Party stand on this issue? Does the Labor Party support the restriction in catch that we have put in place? Yes or no? Mr E.S. Ripper : Yes. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Okay. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We have made public statements to that effect. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is that so? Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Without doubt. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Without doubt. The decision by this government and by the Minister for Fisheries is the responsible decision. In terms of compensation, I recognise the loss of revenue and the hardship. However, it is not a matter of compensation. These people operate under a licence arrangement. The long-term interest of the government has to be to preserve that fishery. That is not a case for compensation. Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr E.S. Ripper : That is not the point. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is a fair question. Where does the Labor Party stand on this issue? Does the Labor Party support the restriction in catch that we have put in place? Yes or no? Mr E.S. Ripper : Yes. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Okay. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We have made public statements to that effect. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is that so? Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Without doubt. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Without doubt. The decision by this government and by the Minister for Fisheries is the responsible decision. In terms of compensation, I recognise the loss of revenue and the hardship. However, it is not a matter of compensation. These people operate under a licence arrangement. The long-term interest of the government has to be to preserve that fishery. That is not a case for compensation. Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is a fair question. Where does the Labor Party stand on this issue? Does the Labor Party support the restriction in catch that we have put in place? Yes or no? Mr E.S. Ripper : Yes. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Okay. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We have made public statements to that effect. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is that so? Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Without doubt. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Without doubt. The decision by this government and by the Minister for Fisheries is the responsible decision. In terms of compensation, I recognise the loss of revenue and the hardship. However, it is not a matter of compensation. These people operate under a licence arrangement. The long-term interest of the government has to be to preserve that fishery. That is not a case for compensation. Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr E.S. Ripper : Yes. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Okay. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We have made public statements to that effect. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is that so? Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Without doubt. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Without doubt. The decision by this government and by the Minister for Fisheries is the responsible decision. In terms of compensation, I recognise the loss of revenue and the hardship. However, it is not a matter of compensation. These people operate under a licence arrangement. The long-term interest of the government has to be to preserve that fishery. That is not a case for compensation. Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Okay. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We have made public statements to that effect. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is that so? Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Without doubt. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Without doubt. The decision by this government and by the Minister for Fisheries is the responsible decision. In terms of compensation, I recognise the loss of revenue and the hardship. However, it is not a matter of compensation. These people operate under a licence arrangement. The long-term interest of the government has to be to preserve that fishery. That is not a case for compensation. Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We have made public statements to that effect. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is that so? Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Without doubt. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Without doubt. The decision by this government and by the Minister for Fisheries is the responsible decision. In terms of compensation, I recognise the loss of revenue and the hardship. However, it is not a matter of compensation. These people operate under a licence arrangement. The long-term interest of the government has to be to preserve that fishery. That is not a case for compensation. Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is that so? Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Without doubt. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Without doubt. The decision by this government and by the Minister for Fisheries is the responsible decision. In terms of compensation, I recognise the loss of revenue and the hardship. However, it is not a matter of compensation. These people operate under a licence arrangement. The long-term interest of the government has to be to preserve that fishery. That is not a case for compensation. Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Without doubt. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Without doubt. The decision by this government and by the Minister for Fisheries is the responsible decision. In terms of compensation, I recognise the loss of revenue and the hardship. However, it is not a matter of compensation. These people operate under a licence arrangement. The long-term interest of the government has to be to preserve that fishery. That is not a case for compensation. Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Without doubt. The decision by this government and by the Minister for Fisheries is the responsible decision. In terms of compensation, I recognise the loss of revenue and the hardship. However, it is not a matter of compensation. These people operate under a licence arrangement. The long-term interest of the government has to be to preserve that fishery. That is not a case for compensation. Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
The decision by this government and by the Minister for Fisheries is the responsible decision. In terms of compensation, I recognise the loss of revenue and the hardship. However, it is not a matter of compensation. These people operate under a licence arrangement. The long-term interest of the government has to be to preserve that fishery. That is not a case for compensation. Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
(1) Will the Premier explain why the government is refusing to compensate the rock lobster fishing industry for the real financial damage caused by changing licence conditions in the middle of the season? (2) Will the Premier apologise to the members of the Fishing Industry Women’s Association for his false assertions that have damaged their reputation and belittled the valuable contribution they have made to this vital industry? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(2) The first part of the question related to the restrictions on the rock lobster catch. The rock lobster fishery is an incredibly important industry to this state, particularly in regional areas. As members would be aware, the puerulus count—I think that is the correct term—was virtually zero at the beginning of this season. That is an indicator of future catches and has a high degree of reliability. In the wake of that scientific evidence, the minister responsible, Hon Norman Moore, and the government had no option but to restrict the catch. I recognise that that is causing some hardship and a substantial loss of income for many fishermen, at a time when the market, in both demand and price, is substantially down. However, is the Labor Party saying that we should ignore that scientific and environmental advice? Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is the Labor Party saying that we should simply allow the catch of rock lobster to continue at the same level, and ignore the scientific and professional advice that the catch needs to be restricted? Where does the Labor Party stand on this issue? Does the Labor Party stand for increased catches this year, or for reduced catches, as the government has announced? Mr E.S. Ripper : That is not the point. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is a fair question. Where does the Labor Party stand on this issue? Does the Labor Party support the restriction in catch that we have put in place? Yes or no? Mr E.S. Ripper : Yes. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Okay. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We have made public statements to that effect. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is that so? Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Without doubt. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Without doubt. The decision by this government and by the Minister for Fisheries is the responsible decision. In terms of compensation, I recognise the loss of revenue and the hardship. However, it is not a matter of compensation. These people operate under a licence arrangement. The long-term interest of the government has to be to preserve that fishery. That is not a case for compensation. Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
(2) Will the Premier apologise to the members of the Fishing Industry Women’s Association for his false assertions that have damaged their reputation and belittled the valuable contribution they have made to this vital industry? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(2) The first part of the question related to the restrictions on the rock lobster catch. The rock lobster fishery is an incredibly important industry to this state, particularly in regional areas. As members would be aware, the puerulus count—I think that is the correct term—was virtually zero at the beginning of this season. That is an indicator of future catches and has a high degree of reliability. In the wake of that scientific evidence, the minister responsible, Hon Norman Moore, and the government had no option but to restrict the catch. I recognise that that is causing some hardship and a substantial loss of income for many fishermen, at a time when the market, in both demand and price, is substantially down. However, is the Labor Party saying that we should ignore that scientific and environmental advice? Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is the Labor Party saying that we should simply allow the catch of rock lobster to continue at the same level, and ignore the scientific and professional advice that the catch needs to be restricted? Where does the Labor Party stand on this issue? Does the Labor Party stand for increased catches this year, or for reduced catches, as the government has announced? Mr E.S. Ripper : That is not the point. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is a fair question. Where does the Labor Party stand on this issue? Does the Labor Party support the restriction in catch that we have put in place? Yes or no? Mr E.S. Ripper : Yes. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Okay. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We have made public statements to that effect. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is that so? Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Without doubt. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Without doubt. The decision by this government and by the Minister for Fisheries is the responsible decision. In terms of compensation, I recognise the loss of revenue and the hardship. However, it is not a matter of compensation. These people operate under a licence arrangement. The long-term interest of the government has to be to preserve that fishery. That is not a case for compensation. Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: (1)-(2) The first part of the question related to the restrictions on the rock lobster catch. The rock lobster fishery is an incredibly important industry to this state, particularly in regional areas. As members would be aware, the puerulus count—I think that is the correct term—was virtually zero at the beginning of this season. That is an indicator of future catches and has a high degree of reliability. In the wake of that scientific evidence, the minister responsible, Hon Norman Moore, and the government had no option but to restrict the catch. I recognise that that is causing some hardship and a substantial loss of income for many fishermen, at a time when the market, in both demand and price, is substantially down. However, is the Labor Party saying that we should ignore that scientific and environmental advice? Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is the Labor Party saying that we should simply allow the catch of rock lobster to continue at the same level, and ignore the scientific and professional advice that the catch needs to be restricted? Where does the Labor Party stand on this issue? Does the Labor Party stand for increased catches this year, or for reduced catches, as the government has announced? Mr E.S. Ripper : That is not the point. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is a fair question. Where does the Labor Party stand on this issue? Does the Labor Party support the restriction in catch that we have put in place? Yes or no? Mr E.S. Ripper : Yes. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Okay. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We have made public statements to that effect. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is that so? Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Without doubt. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Without doubt. The decision by this government and by the Minister for Fisheries is the responsible decision. In terms of compensation, I recognise the loss of revenue and the hardship. However, it is not a matter of compensation. These people operate under a licence arrangement. The long-term interest of the government has to be to preserve that fishery. That is not a case for compensation. Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
(1)-(2) The first part of the question related to the restrictions on the rock lobster catch. The rock lobster fishery is an incredibly important industry to this state, particularly in regional areas. As members would be aware, the puerulus count—I think that is the correct term—was virtually zero at the beginning of this season. That is an indicator of future catches and has a high degree of reliability. In the wake of that scientific evidence, the minister responsible, Hon Norman Moore, and the government had no option but to restrict the catch. I recognise that that is causing some hardship and a substantial loss of income for many fishermen, at a time when the market, in both demand and price, is substantially down. However, is the Labor Party saying that we should ignore that scientific and environmental advice? Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is the Labor Party saying that we should simply allow the catch of rock lobster to continue at the same level, and ignore the scientific and professional advice that the catch needs to be restricted? Where does the Labor Party stand on this issue? Does the Labor Party stand for increased catches this year, or for reduced catches, as the government has announced? Mr E.S. Ripper : That is not the point. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is a fair question. Where does the Labor Party stand on this issue? Does the Labor Party support the restriction in catch that we have put in place? Yes or no? Mr E.S. Ripper : Yes. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Okay. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We have made public statements to that effect. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is that so? Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Without doubt. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Without doubt. The decision by this government and by the Minister for Fisheries is the responsible decision. In terms of compensation, I recognise the loss of revenue and the hardship. However, it is not a matter of compensation. These people operate under a licence arrangement. The long-term interest of the government has to be to preserve that fishery. That is not a case for compensation. Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is the Labor Party saying that we should simply allow the catch of rock lobster to continue at the same level, and ignore the scientific and professional advice that the catch needs to be restricted? Where does the Labor Party stand on this issue? Does the Labor Party stand for increased catches this year, or for reduced catches, as the government has announced? Mr E.S. Ripper : That is not the point. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is a fair question. Where does the Labor Party stand on this issue? Does the Labor Party support the restriction in catch that we have put in place? Yes or no? Mr E.S. Ripper : Yes. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Okay. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We have made public statements to that effect. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is that so? Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Without doubt. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Without doubt. The decision by this government and by the Minister for Fisheries is the responsible decision. In terms of compensation, I recognise the loss of revenue and the hardship. However, it is not a matter of compensation. These people operate under a licence arrangement. The long-term interest of the government has to be to preserve that fishery. That is not a case for compensation. Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is the Labor Party saying that we should simply allow the catch of rock lobster to continue at the same level, and ignore the scientific and professional advice that the catch needs to be restricted? Where does the Labor Party stand on this issue? Does the Labor Party stand for increased catches this year, or for reduced catches, as the government has announced? Mr E.S. Ripper : That is not the point. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is a fair question. Where does the Labor Party stand on this issue? Does the Labor Party support the restriction in catch that we have put in place? Yes or no? Mr E.S. Ripper : Yes. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Okay. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We have made public statements to that effect. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is that so? Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Without doubt. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Without doubt. The decision by this government and by the Minister for Fisheries is the responsible decision. In terms of compensation, I recognise the loss of revenue and the hardship. However, it is not a matter of compensation. These people operate under a licence arrangement. The long-term interest of the government has to be to preserve that fishery. That is not a case for compensation. Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr E.S. Ripper : That is not the point. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is a fair question. Where does the Labor Party stand on this issue? Does the Labor Party support the restriction in catch that we have put in place? Yes or no? Mr E.S. Ripper : Yes. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Okay. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We have made public statements to that effect. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is that so? Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Without doubt. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Without doubt. The decision by this government and by the Minister for Fisheries is the responsible decision. In terms of compensation, I recognise the loss of revenue and the hardship. However, it is not a matter of compensation. These people operate under a licence arrangement. The long-term interest of the government has to be to preserve that fishery. That is not a case for compensation. Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is a fair question. Where does the Labor Party stand on this issue? Does the Labor Party support the restriction in catch that we have put in place? Yes or no? Mr E.S. Ripper : Yes. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Okay. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We have made public statements to that effect. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is that so? Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Without doubt. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Without doubt. The decision by this government and by the Minister for Fisheries is the responsible decision. In terms of compensation, I recognise the loss of revenue and the hardship. However, it is not a matter of compensation. These people operate under a licence arrangement. The long-term interest of the government has to be to preserve that fishery. That is not a case for compensation. Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr E.S. Ripper : Yes. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Okay. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We have made public statements to that effect. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is that so? Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Without doubt. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Without doubt. The decision by this government and by the Minister for Fisheries is the responsible decision. In terms of compensation, I recognise the loss of revenue and the hardship. However, it is not a matter of compensation. These people operate under a licence arrangement. The long-term interest of the government has to be to preserve that fishery. That is not a case for compensation. Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Okay. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We have made public statements to that effect. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is that so? Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Without doubt. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Without doubt. The decision by this government and by the Minister for Fisheries is the responsible decision. In terms of compensation, I recognise the loss of revenue and the hardship. However, it is not a matter of compensation. These people operate under a licence arrangement. The long-term interest of the government has to be to preserve that fishery. That is not a case for compensation. Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : We have made public statements to that effect. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is that so? Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Without doubt. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Without doubt. The decision by this government and by the Minister for Fisheries is the responsible decision. In terms of compensation, I recognise the loss of revenue and the hardship. However, it is not a matter of compensation. These people operate under a licence arrangement. The long-term interest of the government has to be to preserve that fishery. That is not a case for compensation. Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Is that so? Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Without doubt. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Without doubt. The decision by this government and by the Minister for Fisheries is the responsible decision. In terms of compensation, I recognise the loss of revenue and the hardship. However, it is not a matter of compensation. These people operate under a licence arrangement. The long-term interest of the government has to be to preserve that fishery. That is not a case for compensation. Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Without doubt. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Without doubt. The decision by this government and by the Minister for Fisheries is the responsible decision. In terms of compensation, I recognise the loss of revenue and the hardship. However, it is not a matter of compensation. These people operate under a licence arrangement. The long-term interest of the government has to be to preserve that fishery. That is not a case for compensation. Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Yes. Without doubt. The decision by this government and by the Minister for Fisheries is the responsible decision. In terms of compensation, I recognise the loss of revenue and the hardship. However, it is not a matter of compensation. These people operate under a licence arrangement. The long-term interest of the government has to be to preserve that fishery. That is not a case for compensation. Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
The decision by this government and by the Minister for Fisheries is the responsible decision. In terms of compensation, I recognise the loss of revenue and the hardship. However, it is not a matter of compensation. These people operate under a licence arrangement. The long-term interest of the government has to be to preserve that fishery. That is not a case for compensation. Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr E.S. Ripper : You changed the rules mid-season! The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : The changes were made in response to an alarming set of data on the state of the fishery. If the member believes that a responsible government should ignore such significant maritime, fisheries and environmental advice, he is irresponsible. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Does the Leader of the Opposition think that this government and this minister took any pleasure in restricting the catch? Not at all. It seems that the Labor Party would now just simply ignore the advice on an industry that has been well managed for 30 years. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : The management of the rock lobster fishing industry has been outstanding, because governments up until now—with the exception of the Labor Party—have been prepared to make courageous and tough decisions to protect that fishery; and that is what the minister did. With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
With respect to my comments about the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, I do apologise—I have said this publicly—if I have caused any offence. However, I want to make the point — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
The SPEAKER : Order, member for North West! Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I have said before, and I repeat, that if I have caused any distress to the wives of the rock lobster fishermen — Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Several members interjected. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I will give my answer. Members opposite can ask their questions, and I will answer them. If I have caused any embarrassment or any offence, I apologise for that. Let me explain the context. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
The SPEAKER : Order, members! I believe the member for North West has asked a question, and I am hearing the Premier answer part of that question. I am sure there are people in the public gallery who might be interested in the answer to the question as well. I would like to hear the rest of the answer from the Premier myself. Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I made some comments about committees when I addressed CEDA last week. As a new government, at every cabinet meeting—as those members opposite who have been ministers would be aware—appointments come up. Therefore, it seemed to be a reasonable question to ask exactly how many committees there are. Guess what? After eight years—two terms of a Labor government—no-one can tell us how many committees there are! We are up to 1 000, and we are still counting! That is because of the Labor government’s complete lack of record keeping and data. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is now going through and trying to determine exactly how many committees and advisory bodies there are. The particular group that the member for North West has referred to is not a government committee, so I apologise for that. It is not government funded, and it is no longer on the list. That is fine. However, do members have any idea how many committees there are in the fishing industry? Have a guess! There are about 25. Do members have any idea how many committees there are in farming? Does the Minister for Agriculture have any idea? Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr D.T. Redman : There are about 135. Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : There are 135 committees in farming, and members opposite reckon we should not do something about it! Sorry. You guys are not with it!
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