❓ Mr. Alban questions the Acting Premier about the outcome of the recent Senate election and the WA community's response. The Acting Premier's response devolves into a partisan attack on the Labor Party's performance and internal issues, drawing multiple calls to order.
AnsweredQoN 238Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WESTERN AUSTRALIAN SENATE ELECTION
238. Mr F.A. ALBAN to the
Acting Premier:
Can the Acting Premier please inform the house of the outcome
of the recent Senate election and how the Western Australian community has
responded to the result?
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Are you finished, member for Victoria Park?
Mr
B.S. Wyatt : Just for the minute.
The
SPEAKER : Just for the minute, are you finished? Member for Swan Hills,
please repeat the question.
Mr
F.A. ALBAN : Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Can the Acting Premier please inform the house of the outcome
of the recent Senate election and how the Western Australian community has
responded to the result?
238. Mr F.A. ALBAN to the
Acting Premier:
Can the Acting Premier please inform the house of the outcome
of the recent Senate election and how the Western Australian community has
responded to the result?
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Are you finished, member for Victoria Park?
Mr
B.S. Wyatt : Just for the minute.
The
SPEAKER : Just for the minute, are you finished? Member for Swan Hills,
please repeat the question.
Mr
F.A. ALBAN : Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Can the Acting Premier please inform the house of the outcome
of the recent Senate election and how the Western Australian community has
responded to the result?
AnswerView source ↗
That is an excellent question. Members may wonder why I would
want to get up here and talk about the Senate election when both major parties
copped a bit of a kick in the tail. The reason for that is my surprise when I
was working on a polling booth in my electorate on election day. This was a
Senate election run on federal issues. Lo and behold, amongst the pictures of
candidates listed were those of the member for Mandurah and Gary Gray, so a
local member and a federal member.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Mandurah, we note your aspirations!
Dr K.D. HAMES : I
understand that that was the case on all the how-to-vote cards across the whole
of Western Australia. I do not know that for sure, but I have certainly heard
that that was the case. Why would the Labor Party not want to put —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : That is enough! I want to hear the Acting Premier.
Dr K.D. HAMES : Why
would the Labor Party —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Cannington, I call you to order for the first time. And, I think,
the member for Belmont, I call you to order for the first time.
Dr K.D. HAMES : Why
would the Labor Party not want to put —
Mr D.A. Templeman interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Mandurah, I call you to order now for the first time. Let us get on
with this question.
Dr K.D. HAMES : At
least I am helping members opposite to crack up with calls to order!
Why would Labor Party members not want to put their two
candidates on their how-to-vote paper—Joe Bullock and Louise Pratt?
There are two reasons. One is that they did not want Joe Bullock on the paper
after what he did. That buffoon, who got into the number one position at the
expense of, might I say, a very good candidate in Louise Pratt who was pushed
down to number two, made absolutely disgraceful disparaging comments about her
sexuality—something that is absolutely none of his business. I can
therefore see why they would not want to put him on the paper. Labor Party
members obviously conned the federal party into putting all their faces there
and having you, Leader of the Opposition, as head of their campaign —
Several members interjected.
Point of Order
Mrs
M.H. ROBERTS : Especially given that this answer is now turning out
to be so lengthy, perhaps you would rule on whether an opinion was sought from
the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, because the Acting Premier appears to
be just giving an opinion in response to the question asked, which of course is
not permitted under the standing orders.
The
SPEAKER : Acting Premier.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Dr K.D. HAMES : Mr
Speaker, clearly Labor Party members in Western Australia conned the federal
government into thinking that things were getting better in Western Australia.
They conned the federal government —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members!
Dr K.D. HAMES : I
am sorry; members opposite obviously conned the federal Labor Party into
thinking that they were doing better. Were they right? Here they are saying, ''We've
been through our low watermark, we've got the lowest vote in the
history of the Labor Party in this state. We're on the way up, Mr Shorten.
We're coming back. We've got 'em on the run. We've
got all the teachers out there marching on Parliament. We've got them
running.'' And what happened, Mr Speaker? The vote was an absolute
disaster for the Labor Party. Let us reflect on what the vote was against the
Labor Party in the areas where it put its local member on the how-to-vote card.
Although the overall vote against the Labor Party was in the order of 4.7 per
cent, the Leader of the Opposition's electorate dropped by 5.79 per
cent. The member for Midland —
Point of Order
Mrs
M.H. ROBERTS : Mr Speaker, I did ask whether you would rule in regard
to standing order 77(2), which states that questions should not be repetitive
or ask for an expression of opinion and so forth. Clearly, this question asked for an opinion, apart from it being a
very, very lengthy answer consuming most of question time.
The
SPEAKER : Thank you, member
for Midland. The Acting Premier is now giving some facts, from what I
understand, and statistics from the election, but I want him to wind this
answer up.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Mr Speaker, I asked you to rule on the
question, not on the answer.
The SPEAKER : The question is in order because of the fact that in Western
Australia the Parliament can put Senate candidates in. We have meetings from
time to time and we have oversight of the Senate in a way, so I am going to
rule that the question stand, but I want the Acting Premier to wind up his
answer.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Further to my point of order, I do not
appear to have made myself clear to you, Mr Speaker. It is not whether a
question to the Acting Premier representing the party leader is in order; I
asked for a ruling on whether any question on any topic that asks for an
opinion is in order. This question clearly asked for an opinion, and I would
refer you again to standing order 77.
The SPEAKER : I understand the question to be about the results of the election,
not an opinion; so I will allow the Acting Premier to continue but I want him
to wind it up as soon as possible.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Dr K.D. HAMES :
Thank you, Mr Speaker. As you will understand from the number of times that you
have been on your feet, it is very hard to get a word in edgeways. For the
record, I repeat for the member that the question asked for the outcome of the
recent Senate election.
Ms
M.M. Quirk interjected.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : It is not laminated; it is printed on a piece of paper. Is that
all right with the member? It is about the outcome of the election.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Bassendean, I want this question to be answered as quickly as
possible. I do not want to be jumping up and down. I call you to order for the
first time.
Dr K.D. HAMES : To
reiterate, in the Leader of the Opposition's electorate, where his name
was on the how-to-vote card for the Senate election, there was a reduction of
5.79 per cent in the vote, and in the electorate of the member for Midland, the
reduction was 5.79 per cent. In the electorate of the member for West Swan,
there was a swing of 5.5 per cent. In those areas, there was a significant
reduction in support for the Labor Party. What do the other Labor Party members
think about that? All they have to do is look at comments by people such as
Senator Mark Bishop and Alannah MacTiernan —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : I want you to wind up please, Acting Premier.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : What an absolute flop. Their effort in this election has been
an absolutely wasted effort.
want to get up here and talk about the Senate election when both major parties
copped a bit of a kick in the tail. The reason for that is my surprise when I
was working on a polling booth in my electorate on election day. This was a
Senate election run on federal issues. Lo and behold, amongst the pictures of
candidates listed were those of the member for Mandurah and Gary Gray, so a
local member and a federal member.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Mandurah, we note your aspirations!
Dr K.D. HAMES : I
understand that that was the case on all the how-to-vote cards across the whole
of Western Australia. I do not know that for sure, but I have certainly heard
that that was the case. Why would the Labor Party not want to put —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : That is enough! I want to hear the Acting Premier.
Dr K.D. HAMES : Why
would the Labor Party —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Cannington, I call you to order for the first time. And, I think,
the member for Belmont, I call you to order for the first time.
Dr K.D. HAMES : Why
would the Labor Party not want to put —
Mr D.A. Templeman interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Mandurah, I call you to order now for the first time. Let us get on
with this question.
Dr K.D. HAMES : At
least I am helping members opposite to crack up with calls to order!
Why would Labor Party members not want to put their two
candidates on their how-to-vote paper—Joe Bullock and Louise Pratt?
There are two reasons. One is that they did not want Joe Bullock on the paper
after what he did. That buffoon, who got into the number one position at the
expense of, might I say, a very good candidate in Louise Pratt who was pushed
down to number two, made absolutely disgraceful disparaging comments about her
sexuality—something that is absolutely none of his business. I can
therefore see why they would not want to put him on the paper. Labor Party
members obviously conned the federal party into putting all their faces there
and having you, Leader of the Opposition, as head of their campaign —
Several members interjected.
Point of Order
Mrs
M.H. ROBERTS : Especially given that this answer is now turning out
to be so lengthy, perhaps you would rule on whether an opinion was sought from
the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, because the Acting Premier appears to
be just giving an opinion in response to the question asked, which of course is
not permitted under the standing orders.
The
SPEAKER : Acting Premier.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Dr K.D. HAMES : Mr
Speaker, clearly Labor Party members in Western Australia conned the federal
government into thinking that things were getting better in Western Australia.
They conned the federal government —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members!
Dr K.D. HAMES : I
am sorry; members opposite obviously conned the federal Labor Party into
thinking that they were doing better. Were they right? Here they are saying, ''We've
been through our low watermark, we've got the lowest vote in the
history of the Labor Party in this state. We're on the way up, Mr Shorten.
We're coming back. We've got 'em on the run. We've
got all the teachers out there marching on Parliament. We've got them
running.'' And what happened, Mr Speaker? The vote was an absolute
disaster for the Labor Party. Let us reflect on what the vote was against the
Labor Party in the areas where it put its local member on the how-to-vote card.
Although the overall vote against the Labor Party was in the order of 4.7 per
cent, the Leader of the Opposition's electorate dropped by 5.79 per
cent. The member for Midland —
Point of Order
Mrs
M.H. ROBERTS : Mr Speaker, I did ask whether you would rule in regard
to standing order 77(2), which states that questions should not be repetitive
or ask for an expression of opinion and so forth. Clearly, this question asked for an opinion, apart from it being a
very, very lengthy answer consuming most of question time.
The
SPEAKER : Thank you, member
for Midland. The Acting Premier is now giving some facts, from what I
understand, and statistics from the election, but I want him to wind this
answer up.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Mr Speaker, I asked you to rule on the
question, not on the answer.
The SPEAKER : The question is in order because of the fact that in Western
Australia the Parliament can put Senate candidates in. We have meetings from
time to time and we have oversight of the Senate in a way, so I am going to
rule that the question stand, but I want the Acting Premier to wind up his
answer.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Further to my point of order, I do not
appear to have made myself clear to you, Mr Speaker. It is not whether a
question to the Acting Premier representing the party leader is in order; I
asked for a ruling on whether any question on any topic that asks for an
opinion is in order. This question clearly asked for an opinion, and I would
refer you again to standing order 77.
The SPEAKER : I understand the question to be about the results of the election,
not an opinion; so I will allow the Acting Premier to continue but I want him
to wind it up as soon as possible.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Dr K.D. HAMES :
Thank you, Mr Speaker. As you will understand from the number of times that you
have been on your feet, it is very hard to get a word in edgeways. For the
record, I repeat for the member that the question asked for the outcome of the
recent Senate election.
Ms
M.M. Quirk interjected.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : It is not laminated; it is printed on a piece of paper. Is that
all right with the member? It is about the outcome of the election.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Bassendean, I want this question to be answered as quickly as
possible. I do not want to be jumping up and down. I call you to order for the
first time.
Dr K.D. HAMES : To
reiterate, in the Leader of the Opposition's electorate, where his name
was on the how-to-vote card for the Senate election, there was a reduction of
5.79 per cent in the vote, and in the electorate of the member for Midland, the
reduction was 5.79 per cent. In the electorate of the member for West Swan,
there was a swing of 5.5 per cent. In those areas, there was a significant
reduction in support for the Labor Party. What do the other Labor Party members
think about that? All they have to do is look at comments by people such as
Senator Mark Bishop and Alannah MacTiernan —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : I want you to wind up please, Acting Premier.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : What an absolute flop. Their effort in this election has been
an absolutely wasted effort.
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