❓ Question regarding whether the Minister for Transport took advice to cabinet regarding a Huawei contract, based on a PTA briefing note. The Minister deflects, questioning the opposition's understanding of cabinet processes and referencing a previous project.
AnsweredQoN 22Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS — HUAWEI
22. Mrs L.M. HARVEY to the Minister for Transport:
I have a supplementary question.
Once again: could the minister answer the question?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! Start
again, member for Scarborough.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY : Given there
is a briefing note with a clear advisory note from the PTA —
Ms R. Saffioti interjected.
The SPEAKER : No, Minister for
Transport; you can have your reply.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY : —
recommending that the minister takes advice to cabinet —
Ms R. Saffioti interjected.
The SPEAKER : Minister for
Transport, you have got your chance.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY : —
why did she not take it to cabinet?
22. Mrs L.M. HARVEY to the Minister for Transport:
I have a supplementary question.
Once again: could the minister answer the question?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! Start
again, member for Scarborough.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY : Given there
is a briefing note with a clear advisory note from the PTA —
Ms R. Saffioti interjected.
The SPEAKER : No, Minister for
Transport; you can have your reply.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY : —
recommending that the minister takes advice to cabinet —
Ms R. Saffioti interjected.
The SPEAKER : Minister for
Transport, you have got your chance.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY : —
why did she not take it to cabinet?
AnswerView source ↗
What does the memo say, member for
Scarborough?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members on my
left!
Point of Order
Mr S.K. L'ESTRANGE :
It is not the minister's place to ask an opposition member a question;
it is the minister's place to answer the question.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : It is not a point
of order. The member has quoted something and the minister is just asking where
it is. I think it is a perfectly reasonable question to ask.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : What is the
member quoting? What is the quote that she is asking me to justify?
Mrs L.M. Harvey : You have the
briefing note.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : No; what is
the quote?
The SPEAKER : Minister,
through the Chair.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : To advise
cabinet what?
Mrs L.M. Harvey : You have
blacked it out.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : Oh! So you
just made it up! Opposition members do not quite understand that they do not
have access to every sentence of every document through the freedom of
information process. That is something we understood for eight and a half
years. Sometimes, there are redacted comments. You do not make it up. You do
not just fill it in and come in here. In relation to cabinet, did the member
for Bateman take the NorthLink WA project to cabinet?
Mr D.C. Nalder : Which one?
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : All of them.
Mr D.C. Nalder : Yes.
Several members interjected.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : Did you take
the contract to cabinet?
The SPEAKER : Minister,
through the Chair, please.
Mr D.C. Nalder : It was a $200
million contract.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : Did you take
the contract to cabinet?
Mr D.C. Nalder : Yes.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : Do you really
state in this house that you took the NorthLink contract to cabinet?
Mr D.C. Nalder : On NorthLink?
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : Yes, on
NorthLink.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Minister, through the Chair.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : He makes
interjections. He goes on Twitter and says, ''I can't believe
this contract wasn't taken to cabinet.'' Did you take the
NorthLink contract to cabinet?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members, this is
not a shouting match across the chamber. Minister, you will answer through the
Chair.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : Did you take
the contract to cabinet?
The SPEAKER : Minister, I will
sit you down if you do not do what you are told.
Point of Order
Mr S.K. L'ESTRANGE :
The minister keeps directing her answer to the member for Bateman and not to
the member for Scarborough.
The SPEAKER : I have just
dealt with that.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : The whole
point of yesterday and today was whether I took it to cabinet. Did they take
their contracts to cabinet? Did you?
The SPEAKER : Minister!
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : Of course you
did not. You sit there and you do not even understand the cabinet process. You
come in here trying to make allegations and doing what you can to try to get
this Leader of the Opposition off 13 per cent. If you keep going this way, you
will not be making double figures.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Everyone just calm down a bit.
Scarborough?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members on my
left!
Point of Order
Mr S.K. L'ESTRANGE :
It is not the minister's place to ask an opposition member a question;
it is the minister's place to answer the question.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : It is not a point
of order. The member has quoted something and the minister is just asking where
it is. I think it is a perfectly reasonable question to ask.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : What is the
member quoting? What is the quote that she is asking me to justify?
Mrs L.M. Harvey : You have the
briefing note.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : No; what is
the quote?
The SPEAKER : Minister,
through the Chair.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : To advise
cabinet what?
Mrs L.M. Harvey : You have
blacked it out.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : Oh! So you
just made it up! Opposition members do not quite understand that they do not
have access to every sentence of every document through the freedom of
information process. That is something we understood for eight and a half
years. Sometimes, there are redacted comments. You do not make it up. You do
not just fill it in and come in here. In relation to cabinet, did the member
for Bateman take the NorthLink WA project to cabinet?
Mr D.C. Nalder : Which one?
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : All of them.
Mr D.C. Nalder : Yes.
Several members interjected.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : Did you take
the contract to cabinet?
The SPEAKER : Minister,
through the Chair, please.
Mr D.C. Nalder : It was a $200
million contract.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : Did you take
the contract to cabinet?
Mr D.C. Nalder : Yes.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : Do you really
state in this house that you took the NorthLink contract to cabinet?
Mr D.C. Nalder : On NorthLink?
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : Yes, on
NorthLink.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Minister, through the Chair.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : He makes
interjections. He goes on Twitter and says, ''I can't believe
this contract wasn't taken to cabinet.'' Did you take the
NorthLink contract to cabinet?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members, this is
not a shouting match across the chamber. Minister, you will answer through the
Chair.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : Did you take
the contract to cabinet?
The SPEAKER : Minister, I will
sit you down if you do not do what you are told.
Point of Order
Mr S.K. L'ESTRANGE :
The minister keeps directing her answer to the member for Bateman and not to
the member for Scarborough.
The SPEAKER : I have just
dealt with that.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : The whole
point of yesterday and today was whether I took it to cabinet. Did they take
their contracts to cabinet? Did you?
The SPEAKER : Minister!
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : Of course you
did not. You sit there and you do not even understand the cabinet process. You
come in here trying to make allegations and doing what you can to try to get
this Leader of the Opposition off 13 per cent. If you keep going this way, you
will not be making double figures.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Everyone just calm down a bit.
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