❓ Opposition questions the Premier's support for the Member for Perth's chairmanship of the Corruption and Crime Commission committee, alleging a connection to organised crime. The Premier defends his support, dismissing the allegations as unsubstantiated and highlighting the absurdity of guilt by association.
AnsweredQoN 395Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
MEMBER FOR PERTH - PREMIER’S SUPPORT
Here we go; quite right. Will the Premier explain why he fully supports the member for Perth retaining the chairmanship of the Joint Standing Committee on the Corruption and Crime Commission when he maintains a close, personal friendship with another person connected with organised crime; and does the Premier accept that the telephone call is a symptom of the association? Mr A.J. CARPENTER
Here we go; quite right. Will the Premier explain why he fully supports the member for Perth retaining the chairmanship of the Joint Standing Committee on the Corruption and Crime Commission when he maintains a close, personal friendship with another person connected with organised crime; and does the Premier accept that the telephone call is a symptom of the association? Mr A.J. CARPENTER
AnswerView source ↗
Mr Speaker - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We try to keep our time on our feet brief during question time, but I am finding it difficult to talk over the top of the incessant interruption from members opposite. To answer the question directly: why would I not? There is absolutely no reason for me to lose faith in the member for Perth on the basis of the assertion the opposition has made today. It is absolutely absurd. I listened to the speeches of members opposite during the motion to suspend standing orders, and they were pathetic. Not one scintilla of evidence was presented to substantiate the opposition’s case. I live at 19 Sergeant Road, Melville. My phone number is listed in the phone book. It is 9330 5649. I constantly receive phone calls from members of the public. My wife fields many of those calls. I sometimes take the calls and sometimes my daughters take the calls. People come to my front door, including people who explain to me they are either under investigation, they have a grievance with the courts or they have been charged with an offence. They say, “You’re the Premier. Will you do something for me?” I tell them that I am not in a position to do that sort of thing. I tell them that if they have a grievance or a problem, they should put it in writing and it will be dealt with in an appropriate way. The fact that a member of Parliament receives a phone call - Mr T. Buswell : It was his campaign manager. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Was it the member’s campaign manager? Mr J.N. Hyde : No. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was not the member’s campaign manager. Members opposite cannot even get that right. I will wind up my answer by asking whether the member for Cottesloe sat at a Liberal Party fundraising dinner with a Mr Papakostas, who has subsequently been charged and imprisoned for drug offences? Mr C.J. Barnett : No. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : If the member did, in the company of Mr Paul Afkos and the Prime Minister of Australia, who went on to describe Mr Afkos as a great Australian, should the member for Cottesloe therefore resign from any position he held at the time or subsequently? Are we to assume that the Prime Minister of Australia - Mr P.D. Omodei : Which one of those people were members of the Joint Standing Committee on the CCC? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Perth is on a parliamentary committee. One of the gentlemen I just mentioned is the Prime Minister of Australia! Is nobody suggesting that John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, should be forced to resign because he described Paul Afkos as a great Australian who is associated with a man who has been pinged for drug dealing? It is ludicrous. There is no evidence. Mr R.F. Johnson : The person has ongoing links with organised crime. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: Mr Speaker - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We try to keep our time on our feet brief during question time, but I am finding it difficult to talk over the top of the incessant interruption from members opposite. To answer the question directly: why would I not? There is absolutely no reason for me to lose faith in the member for Perth on the basis of the assertion the opposition has made today. It is absolutely absurd. I listened to the speeches of members opposite during the motion to suspend standing orders, and they were pathetic. Not one scintilla of evidence was presented to substantiate the opposition’s case. I live at 19 Sergeant Road, Melville. My phone number is listed in the phone book. It is 9330 5649. I constantly receive phone calls from members of the public. My wife fields many of those calls. I sometimes take the calls and sometimes my daughters take the calls. People come to my front door, including people who explain to me they are either under investigation, they have a grievance with the courts or they have been charged with an offence. They say, “You’re the Premier. Will you do something for me?” I tell them that I am not in a position to do that sort of thing. I tell them that if they have a grievance or a problem, they should put it in writing and it will be dealt with in an appropriate way. The fact that a member of Parliament receives a phone call - Mr T. Buswell : It was his campaign manager. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Was it the member’s campaign manager? Mr J.N. Hyde : No. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was not the member’s campaign manager. Members opposite cannot even get that right. I will wind up my answer by asking whether the member for Cottesloe sat at a Liberal Party fundraising dinner with a Mr Papakostas, who has subsequently been charged and imprisoned for drug offences? Mr C.J. Barnett : No. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : If the member did, in the company of Mr Paul Afkos and the Prime Minister of Australia, who went on to describe Mr Afkos as a great Australian, should the member for Cottesloe therefore resign from any position he held at the time or subsequently? Are we to assume that the Prime Minister of Australia - Mr P.D. Omodei : Which one of those people were members of the Joint Standing Committee on the CCC? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Perth is on a parliamentary committee. One of the gentlemen I just mentioned is the Prime Minister of Australia! Is nobody suggesting that John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, should be forced to resign because he described Paul Afkos as a great Australian who is associated with a man who has been pinged for drug dealing? It is ludicrous. There is no evidence. Mr R.F. Johnson : The person has ongoing links with organised crime. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
Mr Speaker - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We try to keep our time on our feet brief during question time, but I am finding it difficult to talk over the top of the incessant interruption from members opposite. To answer the question directly: why would I not? There is absolutely no reason for me to lose faith in the member for Perth on the basis of the assertion the opposition has made today. It is absolutely absurd. I listened to the speeches of members opposite during the motion to suspend standing orders, and they were pathetic. Not one scintilla of evidence was presented to substantiate the opposition’s case. I live at 19 Sergeant Road, Melville. My phone number is listed in the phone book. It is 9330 5649. I constantly receive phone calls from members of the public. My wife fields many of those calls. I sometimes take the calls and sometimes my daughters take the calls. People come to my front door, including people who explain to me they are either under investigation, they have a grievance with the courts or they have been charged with an offence. They say, “You’re the Premier. Will you do something for me?” I tell them that I am not in a position to do that sort of thing. I tell them that if they have a grievance or a problem, they should put it in writing and it will be dealt with in an appropriate way. The fact that a member of Parliament receives a phone call - Mr T. Buswell : It was his campaign manager. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Was it the member’s campaign manager? Mr J.N. Hyde : No. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was not the member’s campaign manager. Members opposite cannot even get that right. I will wind up my answer by asking whether the member for Cottesloe sat at a Liberal Party fundraising dinner with a Mr Papakostas, who has subsequently been charged and imprisoned for drug offences? Mr C.J. Barnett : No. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : If the member did, in the company of Mr Paul Afkos and the Prime Minister of Australia, who went on to describe Mr Afkos as a great Australian, should the member for Cottesloe therefore resign from any position he held at the time or subsequently? Are we to assume that the Prime Minister of Australia - Mr P.D. Omodei : Which one of those people were members of the Joint Standing Committee on the CCC? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Perth is on a parliamentary committee. One of the gentlemen I just mentioned is the Prime Minister of Australia! Is nobody suggesting that John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, should be forced to resign because he described Paul Afkos as a great Australian who is associated with a man who has been pinged for drug dealing? It is ludicrous. There is no evidence. Mr R.F. Johnson : The person has ongoing links with organised crime. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We try to keep our time on our feet brief during question time, but I am finding it difficult to talk over the top of the incessant interruption from members opposite. To answer the question directly: why would I not? There is absolutely no reason for me to lose faith in the member for Perth on the basis of the assertion the opposition has made today. It is absolutely absurd. I listened to the speeches of members opposite during the motion to suspend standing orders, and they were pathetic. Not one scintilla of evidence was presented to substantiate the opposition’s case. I live at 19 Sergeant Road, Melville. My phone number is listed in the phone book. It is 9330 5649. I constantly receive phone calls from members of the public. My wife fields many of those calls. I sometimes take the calls and sometimes my daughters take the calls. People come to my front door, including people who explain to me they are either under investigation, they have a grievance with the courts or they have been charged with an offence. They say, “You’re the Premier. Will you do something for me?” I tell them that I am not in a position to do that sort of thing. I tell them that if they have a grievance or a problem, they should put it in writing and it will be dealt with in an appropriate way. The fact that a member of Parliament receives a phone call - Mr T. Buswell : It was his campaign manager. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Was it the member’s campaign manager? Mr J.N. Hyde : No. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was not the member’s campaign manager. Members opposite cannot even get that right. I will wind up my answer by asking whether the member for Cottesloe sat at a Liberal Party fundraising dinner with a Mr Papakostas, who has subsequently been charged and imprisoned for drug offences? Mr C.J. Barnett : No. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : If the member did, in the company of Mr Paul Afkos and the Prime Minister of Australia, who went on to describe Mr Afkos as a great Australian, should the member for Cottesloe therefore resign from any position he held at the time or subsequently? Are we to assume that the Prime Minister of Australia - Mr P.D. Omodei : Which one of those people were members of the Joint Standing Committee on the CCC? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Perth is on a parliamentary committee. One of the gentlemen I just mentioned is the Prime Minister of Australia! Is nobody suggesting that John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, should be forced to resign because he described Paul Afkos as a great Australian who is associated with a man who has been pinged for drug dealing? It is ludicrous. There is no evidence. Mr R.F. Johnson : The person has ongoing links with organised crime. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We try to keep our time on our feet brief during question time, but I am finding it difficult to talk over the top of the incessant interruption from members opposite. To answer the question directly: why would I not? There is absolutely no reason for me to lose faith in the member for Perth on the basis of the assertion the opposition has made today. It is absolutely absurd. I listened to the speeches of members opposite during the motion to suspend standing orders, and they were pathetic. Not one scintilla of evidence was presented to substantiate the opposition’s case. I live at 19 Sergeant Road, Melville. My phone number is listed in the phone book. It is 9330 5649. I constantly receive phone calls from members of the public. My wife fields many of those calls. I sometimes take the calls and sometimes my daughters take the calls. People come to my front door, including people who explain to me they are either under investigation, they have a grievance with the courts or they have been charged with an offence. They say, “You’re the Premier. Will you do something for me?” I tell them that I am not in a position to do that sort of thing. I tell them that if they have a grievance or a problem, they should put it in writing and it will be dealt with in an appropriate way. The fact that a member of Parliament receives a phone call - Mr T. Buswell : It was his campaign manager. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Was it the member’s campaign manager? Mr J.N. Hyde : No. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was not the member’s campaign manager. Members opposite cannot even get that right. I will wind up my answer by asking whether the member for Cottesloe sat at a Liberal Party fundraising dinner with a Mr Papakostas, who has subsequently been charged and imprisoned for drug offences? Mr C.J. Barnett : No. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : If the member did, in the company of Mr Paul Afkos and the Prime Minister of Australia, who went on to describe Mr Afkos as a great Australian, should the member for Cottesloe therefore resign from any position he held at the time or subsequently? Are we to assume that the Prime Minister of Australia - Mr P.D. Omodei : Which one of those people were members of the Joint Standing Committee on the CCC? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Perth is on a parliamentary committee. One of the gentlemen I just mentioned is the Prime Minister of Australia! Is nobody suggesting that John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, should be forced to resign because he described Paul Afkos as a great Australian who is associated with a man who has been pinged for drug dealing? It is ludicrous. There is no evidence. Mr R.F. Johnson : The person has ongoing links with organised crime. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We try to keep our time on our feet brief during question time, but I am finding it difficult to talk over the top of the incessant interruption from members opposite. To answer the question directly: why would I not? There is absolutely no reason for me to lose faith in the member for Perth on the basis of the assertion the opposition has made today. It is absolutely absurd. I listened to the speeches of members opposite during the motion to suspend standing orders, and they were pathetic. Not one scintilla of evidence was presented to substantiate the opposition’s case. I live at 19 Sergeant Road, Melville. My phone number is listed in the phone book. It is 9330 5649. I constantly receive phone calls from members of the public. My wife fields many of those calls. I sometimes take the calls and sometimes my daughters take the calls. People come to my front door, including people who explain to me they are either under investigation, they have a grievance with the courts or they have been charged with an offence. They say, “You’re the Premier. Will you do something for me?” I tell them that I am not in a position to do that sort of thing. I tell them that if they have a grievance or a problem, they should put it in writing and it will be dealt with in an appropriate way. The fact that a member of Parliament receives a phone call - Mr T. Buswell : It was his campaign manager. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Was it the member’s campaign manager? Mr J.N. Hyde : No. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was not the member’s campaign manager. Members opposite cannot even get that right. I will wind up my answer by asking whether the member for Cottesloe sat at a Liberal Party fundraising dinner with a Mr Papakostas, who has subsequently been charged and imprisoned for drug offences? Mr C.J. Barnett : No. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : If the member did, in the company of Mr Paul Afkos and the Prime Minister of Australia, who went on to describe Mr Afkos as a great Australian, should the member for Cottesloe therefore resign from any position he held at the time or subsequently? Are we to assume that the Prime Minister of Australia - Mr P.D. Omodei : Which one of those people were members of the Joint Standing Committee on the CCC? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Perth is on a parliamentary committee. One of the gentlemen I just mentioned is the Prime Minister of Australia! Is nobody suggesting that John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, should be forced to resign because he described Paul Afkos as a great Australian who is associated with a man who has been pinged for drug dealing? It is ludicrous. There is no evidence. Mr R.F. Johnson : The person has ongoing links with organised crime. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
Mr T. Buswell : It was his campaign manager. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Was it the member’s campaign manager? Mr J.N. Hyde : No. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was not the member’s campaign manager. Members opposite cannot even get that right. I will wind up my answer by asking whether the member for Cottesloe sat at a Liberal Party fundraising dinner with a Mr Papakostas, who has subsequently been charged and imprisoned for drug offences? Mr C.J. Barnett : No. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : If the member did, in the company of Mr Paul Afkos and the Prime Minister of Australia, who went on to describe Mr Afkos as a great Australian, should the member for Cottesloe therefore resign from any position he held at the time or subsequently? Are we to assume that the Prime Minister of Australia - Mr P.D. Omodei : Which one of those people were members of the Joint Standing Committee on the CCC? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Perth is on a parliamentary committee. One of the gentlemen I just mentioned is the Prime Minister of Australia! Is nobody suggesting that John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, should be forced to resign because he described Paul Afkos as a great Australian who is associated with a man who has been pinged for drug dealing? It is ludicrous. There is no evidence. Mr R.F. Johnson : The person has ongoing links with organised crime. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Was it the member’s campaign manager? Mr J.N. Hyde : No. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was not the member’s campaign manager. Members opposite cannot even get that right. I will wind up my answer by asking whether the member for Cottesloe sat at a Liberal Party fundraising dinner with a Mr Papakostas, who has subsequently been charged and imprisoned for drug offences? Mr C.J. Barnett : No. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : If the member did, in the company of Mr Paul Afkos and the Prime Minister of Australia, who went on to describe Mr Afkos as a great Australian, should the member for Cottesloe therefore resign from any position he held at the time or subsequently? Are we to assume that the Prime Minister of Australia - Mr P.D. Omodei : Which one of those people were members of the Joint Standing Committee on the CCC? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Perth is on a parliamentary committee. One of the gentlemen I just mentioned is the Prime Minister of Australia! Is nobody suggesting that John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, should be forced to resign because he described Paul Afkos as a great Australian who is associated with a man who has been pinged for drug dealing? It is ludicrous. There is no evidence. Mr R.F. Johnson : The person has ongoing links with organised crime. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
Mr J.N. Hyde : No. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was not the member’s campaign manager. Members opposite cannot even get that right. I will wind up my answer by asking whether the member for Cottesloe sat at a Liberal Party fundraising dinner with a Mr Papakostas, who has subsequently been charged and imprisoned for drug offences? Mr C.J. Barnett : No. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : If the member did, in the company of Mr Paul Afkos and the Prime Minister of Australia, who went on to describe Mr Afkos as a great Australian, should the member for Cottesloe therefore resign from any position he held at the time or subsequently? Are we to assume that the Prime Minister of Australia - Mr P.D. Omodei : Which one of those people were members of the Joint Standing Committee on the CCC? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Perth is on a parliamentary committee. One of the gentlemen I just mentioned is the Prime Minister of Australia! Is nobody suggesting that John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, should be forced to resign because he described Paul Afkos as a great Australian who is associated with a man who has been pinged for drug dealing? It is ludicrous. There is no evidence. Mr R.F. Johnson : The person has ongoing links with organised crime. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was not the member’s campaign manager. Members opposite cannot even get that right. I will wind up my answer by asking whether the member for Cottesloe sat at a Liberal Party fundraising dinner with a Mr Papakostas, who has subsequently been charged and imprisoned for drug offences? Mr C.J. Barnett : No. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : If the member did, in the company of Mr Paul Afkos and the Prime Minister of Australia, who went on to describe Mr Afkos as a great Australian, should the member for Cottesloe therefore resign from any position he held at the time or subsequently? Are we to assume that the Prime Minister of Australia - Mr P.D. Omodei : Which one of those people were members of the Joint Standing Committee on the CCC? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Perth is on a parliamentary committee. One of the gentlemen I just mentioned is the Prime Minister of Australia! Is nobody suggesting that John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, should be forced to resign because he described Paul Afkos as a great Australian who is associated with a man who has been pinged for drug dealing? It is ludicrous. There is no evidence. Mr R.F. Johnson : The person has ongoing links with organised crime. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
Mr C.J. Barnett : No. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : If the member did, in the company of Mr Paul Afkos and the Prime Minister of Australia, who went on to describe Mr Afkos as a great Australian, should the member for Cottesloe therefore resign from any position he held at the time or subsequently? Are we to assume that the Prime Minister of Australia - Mr P.D. Omodei : Which one of those people were members of the Joint Standing Committee on the CCC? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Perth is on a parliamentary committee. One of the gentlemen I just mentioned is the Prime Minister of Australia! Is nobody suggesting that John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, should be forced to resign because he described Paul Afkos as a great Australian who is associated with a man who has been pinged for drug dealing? It is ludicrous. There is no evidence. Mr R.F. Johnson : The person has ongoing links with organised crime. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : If the member did, in the company of Mr Paul Afkos and the Prime Minister of Australia, who went on to describe Mr Afkos as a great Australian, should the member for Cottesloe therefore resign from any position he held at the time or subsequently? Are we to assume that the Prime Minister of Australia - Mr P.D. Omodei : Which one of those people were members of the Joint Standing Committee on the CCC? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Perth is on a parliamentary committee. One of the gentlemen I just mentioned is the Prime Minister of Australia! Is nobody suggesting that John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, should be forced to resign because he described Paul Afkos as a great Australian who is associated with a man who has been pinged for drug dealing? It is ludicrous. There is no evidence. Mr R.F. Johnson : The person has ongoing links with organised crime. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : If the member did, in the company of Mr Paul Afkos and the Prime Minister of Australia, who went on to describe Mr Afkos as a great Australian, should the member for Cottesloe therefore resign from any position he held at the time or subsequently? Are we to assume that the Prime Minister of Australia - Mr P.D. Omodei : Which one of those people were members of the Joint Standing Committee on the CCC? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Perth is on a parliamentary committee. One of the gentlemen I just mentioned is the Prime Minister of Australia! Is nobody suggesting that John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, should be forced to resign because he described Paul Afkos as a great Australian who is associated with a man who has been pinged for drug dealing? It is ludicrous. There is no evidence. Mr R.F. Johnson : The person has ongoing links with organised crime. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
Mr P.D. Omodei : Which one of those people were members of the Joint Standing Committee on the CCC? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Perth is on a parliamentary committee. One of the gentlemen I just mentioned is the Prime Minister of Australia! Is nobody suggesting that John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, should be forced to resign because he described Paul Afkos as a great Australian who is associated with a man who has been pinged for drug dealing? It is ludicrous. There is no evidence. Mr R.F. Johnson : The person has ongoing links with organised crime. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Perth is on a parliamentary committee. One of the gentlemen I just mentioned is the Prime Minister of Australia! Is nobody suggesting that John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, should be forced to resign because he described Paul Afkos as a great Australian who is associated with a man who has been pinged for drug dealing? It is ludicrous. There is no evidence. Mr R.F. Johnson : The person has ongoing links with organised crime. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
Mr R.F. Johnson : The person has ongoing links with organised crime. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: Mr Speaker - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We try to keep our time on our feet brief during question time, but I am finding it difficult to talk over the top of the incessant interruption from members opposite. To answer the question directly: why would I not? There is absolutely no reason for me to lose faith in the member for Perth on the basis of the assertion the opposition has made today. It is absolutely absurd. I listened to the speeches of members opposite during the motion to suspend standing orders, and they were pathetic. Not one scintilla of evidence was presented to substantiate the opposition’s case. I live at 19 Sergeant Road, Melville. My phone number is listed in the phone book. It is 9330 5649. I constantly receive phone calls from members of the public. My wife fields many of those calls. I sometimes take the calls and sometimes my daughters take the calls. People come to my front door, including people who explain to me they are either under investigation, they have a grievance with the courts or they have been charged with an offence. They say, “You’re the Premier. Will you do something for me?” I tell them that I am not in a position to do that sort of thing. I tell them that if they have a grievance or a problem, they should put it in writing and it will be dealt with in an appropriate way. The fact that a member of Parliament receives a phone call - Mr T. Buswell : It was his campaign manager. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Was it the member’s campaign manager? Mr J.N. Hyde : No. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was not the member’s campaign manager. Members opposite cannot even get that right. I will wind up my answer by asking whether the member for Cottesloe sat at a Liberal Party fundraising dinner with a Mr Papakostas, who has subsequently been charged and imprisoned for drug offences? Mr C.J. Barnett : No. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : If the member did, in the company of Mr Paul Afkos and the Prime Minister of Australia, who went on to describe Mr Afkos as a great Australian, should the member for Cottesloe therefore resign from any position he held at the time or subsequently? Are we to assume that the Prime Minister of Australia - Mr P.D. Omodei : Which one of those people were members of the Joint Standing Committee on the CCC? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Perth is on a parliamentary committee. One of the gentlemen I just mentioned is the Prime Minister of Australia! Is nobody suggesting that John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, should be forced to resign because he described Paul Afkos as a great Australian who is associated with a man who has been pinged for drug dealing? It is ludicrous. There is no evidence. Mr R.F. Johnson : The person has ongoing links with organised crime. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
Mr Speaker - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We try to keep our time on our feet brief during question time, but I am finding it difficult to talk over the top of the incessant interruption from members opposite. To answer the question directly: why would I not? There is absolutely no reason for me to lose faith in the member for Perth on the basis of the assertion the opposition has made today. It is absolutely absurd. I listened to the speeches of members opposite during the motion to suspend standing orders, and they were pathetic. Not one scintilla of evidence was presented to substantiate the opposition’s case. I live at 19 Sergeant Road, Melville. My phone number is listed in the phone book. It is 9330 5649. I constantly receive phone calls from members of the public. My wife fields many of those calls. I sometimes take the calls and sometimes my daughters take the calls. People come to my front door, including people who explain to me they are either under investigation, they have a grievance with the courts or they have been charged with an offence. They say, “You’re the Premier. Will you do something for me?” I tell them that I am not in a position to do that sort of thing. I tell them that if they have a grievance or a problem, they should put it in writing and it will be dealt with in an appropriate way. The fact that a member of Parliament receives a phone call - Mr T. Buswell : It was his campaign manager. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Was it the member’s campaign manager? Mr J.N. Hyde : No. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was not the member’s campaign manager. Members opposite cannot even get that right. I will wind up my answer by asking whether the member for Cottesloe sat at a Liberal Party fundraising dinner with a Mr Papakostas, who has subsequently been charged and imprisoned for drug offences? Mr C.J. Barnett : No. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : If the member did, in the company of Mr Paul Afkos and the Prime Minister of Australia, who went on to describe Mr Afkos as a great Australian, should the member for Cottesloe therefore resign from any position he held at the time or subsequently? Are we to assume that the Prime Minister of Australia - Mr P.D. Omodei : Which one of those people were members of the Joint Standing Committee on the CCC? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Perth is on a parliamentary committee. One of the gentlemen I just mentioned is the Prime Minister of Australia! Is nobody suggesting that John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, should be forced to resign because he described Paul Afkos as a great Australian who is associated with a man who has been pinged for drug dealing? It is ludicrous. There is no evidence. Mr R.F. Johnson : The person has ongoing links with organised crime. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We try to keep our time on our feet brief during question time, but I am finding it difficult to talk over the top of the incessant interruption from members opposite. To answer the question directly: why would I not? There is absolutely no reason for me to lose faith in the member for Perth on the basis of the assertion the opposition has made today. It is absolutely absurd. I listened to the speeches of members opposite during the motion to suspend standing orders, and they were pathetic. Not one scintilla of evidence was presented to substantiate the opposition’s case. I live at 19 Sergeant Road, Melville. My phone number is listed in the phone book. It is 9330 5649. I constantly receive phone calls from members of the public. My wife fields many of those calls. I sometimes take the calls and sometimes my daughters take the calls. People come to my front door, including people who explain to me they are either under investigation, they have a grievance with the courts or they have been charged with an offence. They say, “You’re the Premier. Will you do something for me?” I tell them that I am not in a position to do that sort of thing. I tell them that if they have a grievance or a problem, they should put it in writing and it will be dealt with in an appropriate way. The fact that a member of Parliament receives a phone call - Mr T. Buswell : It was his campaign manager. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Was it the member’s campaign manager? Mr J.N. Hyde : No. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was not the member’s campaign manager. Members opposite cannot even get that right. I will wind up my answer by asking whether the member for Cottesloe sat at a Liberal Party fundraising dinner with a Mr Papakostas, who has subsequently been charged and imprisoned for drug offences? Mr C.J. Barnett : No. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : If the member did, in the company of Mr Paul Afkos and the Prime Minister of Australia, who went on to describe Mr Afkos as a great Australian, should the member for Cottesloe therefore resign from any position he held at the time or subsequently? Are we to assume that the Prime Minister of Australia - Mr P.D. Omodei : Which one of those people were members of the Joint Standing Committee on the CCC? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Perth is on a parliamentary committee. One of the gentlemen I just mentioned is the Prime Minister of Australia! Is nobody suggesting that John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, should be forced to resign because he described Paul Afkos as a great Australian who is associated with a man who has been pinged for drug dealing? It is ludicrous. There is no evidence. Mr R.F. Johnson : The person has ongoing links with organised crime. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We try to keep our time on our feet brief during question time, but I am finding it difficult to talk over the top of the incessant interruption from members opposite. To answer the question directly: why would I not? There is absolutely no reason for me to lose faith in the member for Perth on the basis of the assertion the opposition has made today. It is absolutely absurd. I listened to the speeches of members opposite during the motion to suspend standing orders, and they were pathetic. Not one scintilla of evidence was presented to substantiate the opposition’s case. I live at 19 Sergeant Road, Melville. My phone number is listed in the phone book. It is 9330 5649. I constantly receive phone calls from members of the public. My wife fields many of those calls. I sometimes take the calls and sometimes my daughters take the calls. People come to my front door, including people who explain to me they are either under investigation, they have a grievance with the courts or they have been charged with an offence. They say, “You’re the Premier. Will you do something for me?” I tell them that I am not in a position to do that sort of thing. I tell them that if they have a grievance or a problem, they should put it in writing and it will be dealt with in an appropriate way. The fact that a member of Parliament receives a phone call - Mr T. Buswell : It was his campaign manager. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Was it the member’s campaign manager? Mr J.N. Hyde : No. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was not the member’s campaign manager. Members opposite cannot even get that right. I will wind up my answer by asking whether the member for Cottesloe sat at a Liberal Party fundraising dinner with a Mr Papakostas, who has subsequently been charged and imprisoned for drug offences? Mr C.J. Barnett : No. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : If the member did, in the company of Mr Paul Afkos and the Prime Minister of Australia, who went on to describe Mr Afkos as a great Australian, should the member for Cottesloe therefore resign from any position he held at the time or subsequently? Are we to assume that the Prime Minister of Australia - Mr P.D. Omodei : Which one of those people were members of the Joint Standing Committee on the CCC? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Perth is on a parliamentary committee. One of the gentlemen I just mentioned is the Prime Minister of Australia! Is nobody suggesting that John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, should be forced to resign because he described Paul Afkos as a great Australian who is associated with a man who has been pinged for drug dealing? It is ludicrous. There is no evidence. Mr R.F. Johnson : The person has ongoing links with organised crime. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : We try to keep our time on our feet brief during question time, but I am finding it difficult to talk over the top of the incessant interruption from members opposite. To answer the question directly: why would I not? There is absolutely no reason for me to lose faith in the member for Perth on the basis of the assertion the opposition has made today. It is absolutely absurd. I listened to the speeches of members opposite during the motion to suspend standing orders, and they were pathetic. Not one scintilla of evidence was presented to substantiate the opposition’s case. I live at 19 Sergeant Road, Melville. My phone number is listed in the phone book. It is 9330 5649. I constantly receive phone calls from members of the public. My wife fields many of those calls. I sometimes take the calls and sometimes my daughters take the calls. People come to my front door, including people who explain to me they are either under investigation, they have a grievance with the courts or they have been charged with an offence. They say, “You’re the Premier. Will you do something for me?” I tell them that I am not in a position to do that sort of thing. I tell them that if they have a grievance or a problem, they should put it in writing and it will be dealt with in an appropriate way. The fact that a member of Parliament receives a phone call - Mr T. Buswell : It was his campaign manager. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Was it the member’s campaign manager? Mr J.N. Hyde : No. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was not the member’s campaign manager. Members opposite cannot even get that right. I will wind up my answer by asking whether the member for Cottesloe sat at a Liberal Party fundraising dinner with a Mr Papakostas, who has subsequently been charged and imprisoned for drug offences? Mr C.J. Barnett : No. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : If the member did, in the company of Mr Paul Afkos and the Prime Minister of Australia, who went on to describe Mr Afkos as a great Australian, should the member for Cottesloe therefore resign from any position he held at the time or subsequently? Are we to assume that the Prime Minister of Australia - Mr P.D. Omodei : Which one of those people were members of the Joint Standing Committee on the CCC? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Perth is on a parliamentary committee. One of the gentlemen I just mentioned is the Prime Minister of Australia! Is nobody suggesting that John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, should be forced to resign because he described Paul Afkos as a great Australian who is associated with a man who has been pinged for drug dealing? It is ludicrous. There is no evidence. Mr R.F. Johnson : The person has ongoing links with organised crime. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
Mr T. Buswell : It was his campaign manager. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Was it the member’s campaign manager? Mr J.N. Hyde : No. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was not the member’s campaign manager. Members opposite cannot even get that right. I will wind up my answer by asking whether the member for Cottesloe sat at a Liberal Party fundraising dinner with a Mr Papakostas, who has subsequently been charged and imprisoned for drug offences? Mr C.J. Barnett : No. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : If the member did, in the company of Mr Paul Afkos and the Prime Minister of Australia, who went on to describe Mr Afkos as a great Australian, should the member for Cottesloe therefore resign from any position he held at the time or subsequently? Are we to assume that the Prime Minister of Australia - Mr P.D. Omodei : Which one of those people were members of the Joint Standing Committee on the CCC? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Perth is on a parliamentary committee. One of the gentlemen I just mentioned is the Prime Minister of Australia! Is nobody suggesting that John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, should be forced to resign because he described Paul Afkos as a great Australian who is associated with a man who has been pinged for drug dealing? It is ludicrous. There is no evidence. Mr R.F. Johnson : The person has ongoing links with organised crime. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Was it the member’s campaign manager? Mr J.N. Hyde : No. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was not the member’s campaign manager. Members opposite cannot even get that right. I will wind up my answer by asking whether the member for Cottesloe sat at a Liberal Party fundraising dinner with a Mr Papakostas, who has subsequently been charged and imprisoned for drug offences? Mr C.J. Barnett : No. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : If the member did, in the company of Mr Paul Afkos and the Prime Minister of Australia, who went on to describe Mr Afkos as a great Australian, should the member for Cottesloe therefore resign from any position he held at the time or subsequently? Are we to assume that the Prime Minister of Australia - Mr P.D. Omodei : Which one of those people were members of the Joint Standing Committee on the CCC? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Perth is on a parliamentary committee. One of the gentlemen I just mentioned is the Prime Minister of Australia! Is nobody suggesting that John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, should be forced to resign because he described Paul Afkos as a great Australian who is associated with a man who has been pinged for drug dealing? It is ludicrous. There is no evidence. Mr R.F. Johnson : The person has ongoing links with organised crime. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
Mr J.N. Hyde : No. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was not the member’s campaign manager. Members opposite cannot even get that right. I will wind up my answer by asking whether the member for Cottesloe sat at a Liberal Party fundraising dinner with a Mr Papakostas, who has subsequently been charged and imprisoned for drug offences? Mr C.J. Barnett : No. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : If the member did, in the company of Mr Paul Afkos and the Prime Minister of Australia, who went on to describe Mr Afkos as a great Australian, should the member for Cottesloe therefore resign from any position he held at the time or subsequently? Are we to assume that the Prime Minister of Australia - Mr P.D. Omodei : Which one of those people were members of the Joint Standing Committee on the CCC? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Perth is on a parliamentary committee. One of the gentlemen I just mentioned is the Prime Minister of Australia! Is nobody suggesting that John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, should be forced to resign because he described Paul Afkos as a great Australian who is associated with a man who has been pinged for drug dealing? It is ludicrous. There is no evidence. Mr R.F. Johnson : The person has ongoing links with organised crime. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : It was not the member’s campaign manager. Members opposite cannot even get that right. I will wind up my answer by asking whether the member for Cottesloe sat at a Liberal Party fundraising dinner with a Mr Papakostas, who has subsequently been charged and imprisoned for drug offences? Mr C.J. Barnett : No. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : If the member did, in the company of Mr Paul Afkos and the Prime Minister of Australia, who went on to describe Mr Afkos as a great Australian, should the member for Cottesloe therefore resign from any position he held at the time or subsequently? Are we to assume that the Prime Minister of Australia - Mr P.D. Omodei : Which one of those people were members of the Joint Standing Committee on the CCC? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Perth is on a parliamentary committee. One of the gentlemen I just mentioned is the Prime Minister of Australia! Is nobody suggesting that John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, should be forced to resign because he described Paul Afkos as a great Australian who is associated with a man who has been pinged for drug dealing? It is ludicrous. There is no evidence. Mr R.F. Johnson : The person has ongoing links with organised crime. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
Mr C.J. Barnett : No. Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : If the member did, in the company of Mr Paul Afkos and the Prime Minister of Australia, who went on to describe Mr Afkos as a great Australian, should the member for Cottesloe therefore resign from any position he held at the time or subsequently? Are we to assume that the Prime Minister of Australia - Mr P.D. Omodei : Which one of those people were members of the Joint Standing Committee on the CCC? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Perth is on a parliamentary committee. One of the gentlemen I just mentioned is the Prime Minister of Australia! Is nobody suggesting that John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, should be forced to resign because he described Paul Afkos as a great Australian who is associated with a man who has been pinged for drug dealing? It is ludicrous. There is no evidence. Mr R.F. Johnson : The person has ongoing links with organised crime. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
Several members interjected. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : If the member did, in the company of Mr Paul Afkos and the Prime Minister of Australia, who went on to describe Mr Afkos as a great Australian, should the member for Cottesloe therefore resign from any position he held at the time or subsequently? Are we to assume that the Prime Minister of Australia - Mr P.D. Omodei : Which one of those people were members of the Joint Standing Committee on the CCC? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Perth is on a parliamentary committee. One of the gentlemen I just mentioned is the Prime Minister of Australia! Is nobody suggesting that John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, should be forced to resign because he described Paul Afkos as a great Australian who is associated with a man who has been pinged for drug dealing? It is ludicrous. There is no evidence. Mr R.F. Johnson : The person has ongoing links with organised crime. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : If the member did, in the company of Mr Paul Afkos and the Prime Minister of Australia, who went on to describe Mr Afkos as a great Australian, should the member for Cottesloe therefore resign from any position he held at the time or subsequently? Are we to assume that the Prime Minister of Australia - Mr P.D. Omodei : Which one of those people were members of the Joint Standing Committee on the CCC? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Perth is on a parliamentary committee. One of the gentlemen I just mentioned is the Prime Minister of Australia! Is nobody suggesting that John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, should be forced to resign because he described Paul Afkos as a great Australian who is associated with a man who has been pinged for drug dealing? It is ludicrous. There is no evidence. Mr R.F. Johnson : The person has ongoing links with organised crime. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
Mr P.D. Omodei : Which one of those people were members of the Joint Standing Committee on the CCC? Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Perth is on a parliamentary committee. One of the gentlemen I just mentioned is the Prime Minister of Australia! Is nobody suggesting that John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, should be forced to resign because he described Paul Afkos as a great Australian who is associated with a man who has been pinged for drug dealing? It is ludicrous. There is no evidence. Mr R.F. Johnson : The person has ongoing links with organised crime. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : The member for Perth is on a parliamentary committee. One of the gentlemen I just mentioned is the Prime Minister of Australia! Is nobody suggesting that John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, should be forced to resign because he described Paul Afkos as a great Australian who is associated with a man who has been pinged for drug dealing? It is ludicrous. There is no evidence. Mr R.F. Johnson : The person has ongoing links with organised crime. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
Mr R.F. Johnson : The person has ongoing links with organised crime. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : This is the member for Hillarys’ milieu. This is the type of debate in which he feels very comfortable.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.