❓ A parliamentary question regarding openness and accountability in the public sector, specifically concerning the tabling of consultants' reports and accusations of concealing a report on Western Power privatisation by the previous government.
AnsweredQoN 20Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Will the Leader of the House explain the importance of openness and accountability in the public sector? Mr J.C. KOBELKE
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question. It is very clear that the Gallop Government places great store on openness and accountability. One of the measures of that accountability is how we compare with our predecessor, which had a very different track record in this area. Yesterday the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure tabled the railway contract - something that the other side would not do when it was in government. It never tabled a major contract, as this Government has done. Clearly, that is an example of much greater accountability and openness. Another important measure of accountability is the tabling of the six-monthly consultants’ reports. I understand that we will hopefully have one ready for tabling next week. The previous Government also tabled consultants’ reports. However, we have found that it did not always tell the truth. The previous Government tabled consultants’ reports, claiming that they showed the money that had been spent on consultants and their reports over a six-month period. However, we know that the report just tabled by the Premier - that is, the Macquarie Bank secret privatisation report - was never listed in those tables. That secret privatisation report did not appear in the tabled documents that set out the reports that had been produced for the last Government. That report by Macquarie Corporate Finance, a division of Macquarie Bank, is from a major financial institution. It is a very serious report. It would have cost tens of thousands of dollars at least. However, did the last Government or the Leader of the Opposition when he was a minister make sure that was in the tabled reports? No. The question that the Leader of the Opposition must answer is whether he deliberately had it taken out of the tabled reports. The Leader of the Opposition should check his records by tomorrow. He should go through the dark recesses of his memory and give us an answer about whether those tabled six-monthly reports did not contain his report on Western Power because he took specific action to make sure that this House was deceived. There was a six-monthly report that purported to show all the consultants’ reports that had been produced for government. In that six-monthly period and in the next two six-monthly periods there is no mention of the “Western Power Corporation: The Path to Privatisation” report by Macquarie Corporate Finance. Mr C.J. Barnett: What is the accusation? That is what I want to know. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I am saying to the Leader of the Opposition that when he was the Leader of the House, six-monthly reports on what consultants had produced for government were tabled. However, the report that was prepared on Western Power Corporation, which he admitted just a few minutes ago he was aware of and which he now claims ministers should have detailed knowledge of, was not in the tabled documents. There was no mention of the title of that Western Power Corporation report. Mr C.J. Barnett: You accused me before of withdrawing or taking out that report, didn’t you? Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I am asking the Leader of the Opposition to explain whether it was an oversight or whether he was involved in withdrawing the title of that report from the tabled reports in this place. Mr C.J. Barnett: That is an accusation of improper conduct. Are you accusing me of improper conduct as a minister? Mr J.C. KOBELKE: We have clear evidence that the Leader of the Opposition, when in government - and still now with the way he is seeking to sabotage the split-up of Western Power - had a secret privatisation agenda. That is very clear. There was a serious, major report on the partial privatisation of the Western Power Corporation, and there was a clear undertaking by the last Liberal Government to table a list of all such reports in this House every six months. However, that report failed to appear. As the former minister has already admitted, he knew of the existence of that report. It was a serious report. Perhaps through investigations, the former minister might be able to tell us how much it cost, but I suspect it would have been tens of thousands of dollars. The Leader of the Opposition must explain whether it was just an oversight or part of his cover-up that he withdrew the title of this report from the tabled documents. Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to know very clearly if you are accusing me of withdrawing that report. You make the accusation and I will deal with it. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: As has already been indicated by the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition has a track record of not telling the truth. The member for Ningaloo set it out in the papers. Withdrawal of Remark The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House knows that that is unparliamentary and I direct him to withdraw that comment. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I withdraw, Mr Speaker. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE: The member for Ningaloo has stated it publicly outside this place, and it has been printed in all the papers; everyone knows. The issue is that we cannot say it in this Chamber because it is unparliamentary. However, it has been published in the papers; everyone knows it. The issue now is the credibility of the Leader of the Opposition. Given that he has this track record, and given that we have evidence of this report and of the tabled government reports on the inquiries by the consultants, we know that the truth was not given to this House. That report was not truthfully reported. The issue for the Leader of the Opposition now is to put on the record what he knew about that and whether he was involved in falsifying those records to mislead this House. It is incumbent on the Leader of the Opposition to make a statement and put on the record the facts as he understands them.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE replied: I thank the member for the question. It is very clear that the Gallop Government places great store on openness and accountability. One of the measures of that accountability is how we compare with our predecessor, which had a very different track record in this area. Yesterday the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure tabled the railway contract - something that the other side would not do when it was in government. It never tabled a major contract, as this Government has done. Clearly, that is an example of much greater accountability and openness. Another important measure of accountability is the tabling of the six-monthly consultants’ reports. I understand that we will hopefully have one ready for tabling next week. The previous Government also tabled consultants’ reports. However, we have found that it did not always tell the truth. The previous Government tabled consultants’ reports, claiming that they showed the money that had been spent on consultants and their reports over a six-month period. However, we know that the report just tabled by the Premier - that is, the Macquarie Bank secret privatisation report - was never listed in those tables. That secret privatisation report did not appear in the tabled documents that set out the reports that had been produced for the last Government. That report by Macquarie Corporate Finance, a division of Macquarie Bank, is from a major financial institution. It is a very serious report. It would have cost tens of thousands of dollars at least. However, did the last Government or the Leader of the Opposition when he was a minister make sure that was in the tabled reports? No. The question that the Leader of the Opposition must answer is whether he deliberately had it taken out of the tabled reports. The Leader of the Opposition should check his records by tomorrow. He should go through the dark recesses of his memory and give us an answer about whether those tabled six-monthly reports did not contain his report on Western Power because he took specific action to make sure that this House was deceived. There was a six-monthly report that purported to show all the consultants’ reports that had been produced for government. In that six-monthly period and in the next two six-monthly periods there is no mention of the “Western Power Corporation: The Path to Privatisation” report by Macquarie Corporate Finance. Mr C.J. Barnett: What is the accusation? That is what I want to know. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I am saying to the Leader of the Opposition that when he was the Leader of the House, six-monthly reports on what consultants had produced for government were tabled. However, the report that was prepared on Western Power Corporation, which he admitted just a few minutes ago he was aware of and which he now claims ministers should have detailed knowledge of, was not in the tabled documents. There was no mention of the title of that Western Power Corporation report. Mr C.J. Barnett: You accused me before of withdrawing or taking out that report, didn’t you? Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I am asking the Leader of the Opposition to explain whether it was an oversight or whether he was involved in withdrawing the title of that report from the tabled reports in this place. Mr C.J. Barnett: That is an accusation of improper conduct. Are you accusing me of improper conduct as a minister? Mr J.C. KOBELKE: We have clear evidence that the Leader of the Opposition, when in government - and still now with the way he is seeking to sabotage the split-up of Western Power - had a secret privatisation agenda. That is very clear. There was a serious, major report on the partial privatisation of the Western Power Corporation, and there was a clear undertaking by the last Liberal Government to table a list of all such reports in this House every six months. However, that report failed to appear. As the former minister has already admitted, he knew of the existence of that report. It was a serious report. Perhaps through investigations, the former minister might be able to tell us how much it cost, but I suspect it would have been tens of thousands of dollars. The Leader of the Opposition must explain whether it was just an oversight or part of his cover-up that he withdrew the title of this report from the tabled documents. Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to know very clearly if you are accusing me of withdrawing that report. You make the accusation and I will deal with it. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: As has already been indicated by the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition has a track record of not telling the truth. The member for Ningaloo set it out in the papers. Withdrawal of Remark The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House knows that that is unparliamentary and I direct him to withdraw that comment. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I withdraw, Mr Speaker. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE: The member for Ningaloo has stated it publicly outside this place, and it has been printed in all the papers; everyone knows. The issue is that we cannot say it in this Chamber because it is unparliamentary. However, it has been published in the papers; everyone knows it. The issue now is the credibility of the Leader of the Opposition. Given that he has this track record, and given that we have evidence of this report and of the tabled government reports on the inquiries by the consultants, we know that the truth was not given to this House. That report was not truthfully reported. The issue for the Leader of the Opposition now is to put on the record what he knew about that and whether he was involved in falsifying those records to mislead this House. It is incumbent on the Leader of the Opposition to make a statement and put on the record the facts as he understands them.
I thank the member for the question. It is very clear that the Gallop Government places great store on openness and accountability. One of the measures of that accountability is how we compare with our predecessor, which had a very different track record in this area. Yesterday the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure tabled the railway contract - something that the other side would not do when it was in government. It never tabled a major contract, as this Government has done. Clearly, that is an example of much greater accountability and openness. Another important measure of accountability is the tabling of the six-monthly consultants’ reports. I understand that we will hopefully have one ready for tabling next week. The previous Government also tabled consultants’ reports. However, we have found that it did not always tell the truth. The previous Government tabled consultants’ reports, claiming that they showed the money that had been spent on consultants and their reports over a six-month period. However, we know that the report just tabled by the Premier - that is, the Macquarie Bank secret privatisation report - was never listed in those tables. That secret privatisation report did not appear in the tabled documents that set out the reports that had been produced for the last Government. That report by Macquarie Corporate Finance, a division of Macquarie Bank, is from a major financial institution. It is a very serious report. It would have cost tens of thousands of dollars at least. However, did the last Government or the Leader of the Opposition when he was a minister make sure that was in the tabled reports? No. The question that the Leader of the Opposition must answer is whether he deliberately had it taken out of the tabled reports. The Leader of the Opposition should check his records by tomorrow. He should go through the dark recesses of his memory and give us an answer about whether those tabled six-monthly reports did not contain his report on Western Power because he took specific action to make sure that this House was deceived. There was a six-monthly report that purported to show all the consultants’ reports that had been produced for government. In that six-monthly period and in the next two six-monthly periods there is no mention of the “Western Power Corporation: The Path to Privatisation” report by Macquarie Corporate Finance. Mr C.J. Barnett: What is the accusation? That is what I want to know. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I am saying to the Leader of the Opposition that when he was the Leader of the House, six-monthly reports on what consultants had produced for government were tabled. However, the report that was prepared on Western Power Corporation, which he admitted just a few minutes ago he was aware of and which he now claims ministers should have detailed knowledge of, was not in the tabled documents. There was no mention of the title of that Western Power Corporation report. Mr C.J. Barnett: You accused me before of withdrawing or taking out that report, didn’t you? Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I am asking the Leader of the Opposition to explain whether it was an oversight or whether he was involved in withdrawing the title of that report from the tabled reports in this place. Mr C.J. Barnett: That is an accusation of improper conduct. Are you accusing me of improper conduct as a minister? Mr J.C. KOBELKE: We have clear evidence that the Leader of the Opposition, when in government - and still now with the way he is seeking to sabotage the split-up of Western Power - had a secret privatisation agenda. That is very clear. There was a serious, major report on the partial privatisation of the Western Power Corporation, and there was a clear undertaking by the last Liberal Government to table a list of all such reports in this House every six months. However, that report failed to appear. As the former minister has already admitted, he knew of the existence of that report. It was a serious report. Perhaps through investigations, the former minister might be able to tell us how much it cost, but I suspect it would have been tens of thousands of dollars. The Leader of the Opposition must explain whether it was just an oversight or part of his cover-up that he withdrew the title of this report from the tabled documents. Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to know very clearly if you are accusing me of withdrawing that report. You make the accusation and I will deal with it. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: As has already been indicated by the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition has a track record of not telling the truth. The member for Ningaloo set it out in the papers. Withdrawal of Remark The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House knows that that is unparliamentary and I direct him to withdraw that comment. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I withdraw, Mr Speaker. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE: The member for Ningaloo has stated it publicly outside this place, and it has been printed in all the papers; everyone knows. The issue is that we cannot say it in this Chamber because it is unparliamentary. However, it has been published in the papers; everyone knows it. The issue now is the credibility of the Leader of the Opposition. Given that he has this track record, and given that we have evidence of this report and of the tabled government reports on the inquiries by the consultants, we know that the truth was not given to this House. That report was not truthfully reported. The issue for the Leader of the Opposition now is to put on the record what he knew about that and whether he was involved in falsifying those records to mislead this House. It is incumbent on the Leader of the Opposition to make a statement and put on the record the facts as he understands them.
Another important measure of accountability is the tabling of the six-monthly consultants’ reports. I understand that we will hopefully have one ready for tabling next week. The previous Government also tabled consultants’ reports. However, we have found that it did not always tell the truth. The previous Government tabled consultants’ reports, claiming that they showed the money that had been spent on consultants and their reports over a six-month period. However, we know that the report just tabled by the Premier - that is, the Macquarie Bank secret privatisation report - was never listed in those tables. That secret privatisation report did not appear in the tabled documents that set out the reports that had been produced for the last Government. That report by Macquarie Corporate Finance, a division of Macquarie Bank, is from a major financial institution. It is a very serious report. It would have cost tens of thousands of dollars at least. However, did the last Government or the Leader of the Opposition when he was a minister make sure that was in the tabled reports? No. The question that the Leader of the Opposition must answer is whether he deliberately had it taken out of the tabled reports. The Leader of the Opposition should check his records by tomorrow. He should go through the dark recesses of his memory and give us an answer about whether those tabled six-monthly reports did not contain his report on Western Power because he took specific action to make sure that this House was deceived. There was a six-monthly report that purported to show all the consultants’ reports that had been produced for government. In that six-monthly period and in the next two six-monthly periods there is no mention of the “Western Power Corporation: The Path to Privatisation” report by Macquarie Corporate Finance. Mr C.J. Barnett: What is the accusation? That is what I want to know. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I am saying to the Leader of the Opposition that when he was the Leader of the House, six-monthly reports on what consultants had produced for government were tabled. However, the report that was prepared on Western Power Corporation, which he admitted just a few minutes ago he was aware of and which he now claims ministers should have detailed knowledge of, was not in the tabled documents. There was no mention of the title of that Western Power Corporation report. Mr C.J. Barnett: You accused me before of withdrawing or taking out that report, didn’t you? Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I am asking the Leader of the Opposition to explain whether it was an oversight or whether he was involved in withdrawing the title of that report from the tabled reports in this place. Mr C.J. Barnett: That is an accusation of improper conduct. Are you accusing me of improper conduct as a minister? Mr J.C. KOBELKE: We have clear evidence that the Leader of the Opposition, when in government - and still now with the way he is seeking to sabotage the split-up of Western Power - had a secret privatisation agenda. That is very clear. There was a serious, major report on the partial privatisation of the Western Power Corporation, and there was a clear undertaking by the last Liberal Government to table a list of all such reports in this House every six months. However, that report failed to appear. As the former minister has already admitted, he knew of the existence of that report. It was a serious report. Perhaps through investigations, the former minister might be able to tell us how much it cost, but I suspect it would have been tens of thousands of dollars. The Leader of the Opposition must explain whether it was just an oversight or part of his cover-up that he withdrew the title of this report from the tabled documents. Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to know very clearly if you are accusing me of withdrawing that report. You make the accusation and I will deal with it. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: As has already been indicated by the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition has a track record of not telling the truth. The member for Ningaloo set it out in the papers. Withdrawal of Remark The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House knows that that is unparliamentary and I direct him to withdraw that comment. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I withdraw, Mr Speaker. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE: The member for Ningaloo has stated it publicly outside this place, and it has been printed in all the papers; everyone knows. The issue is that we cannot say it in this Chamber because it is unparliamentary. However, it has been published in the papers; everyone knows it. The issue now is the credibility of the Leader of the Opposition. Given that he has this track record, and given that we have evidence of this report and of the tabled government reports on the inquiries by the consultants, we know that the truth was not given to this House. That report was not truthfully reported. The issue for the Leader of the Opposition now is to put on the record what he knew about that and whether he was involved in falsifying those records to mislead this House. It is incumbent on the Leader of the Opposition to make a statement and put on the record the facts as he understands them.
Mr C.J. Barnett: What is the accusation? That is what I want to know. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I am saying to the Leader of the Opposition that when he was the Leader of the House, six-monthly reports on what consultants had produced for government were tabled. However, the report that was prepared on Western Power Corporation, which he admitted just a few minutes ago he was aware of and which he now claims ministers should have detailed knowledge of, was not in the tabled documents. There was no mention of the title of that Western Power Corporation report. Mr C.J. Barnett: You accused me before of withdrawing or taking out that report, didn’t you? Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I am asking the Leader of the Opposition to explain whether it was an oversight or whether he was involved in withdrawing the title of that report from the tabled reports in this place. Mr C.J. Barnett: That is an accusation of improper conduct. Are you accusing me of improper conduct as a minister? Mr J.C. KOBELKE: We have clear evidence that the Leader of the Opposition, when in government - and still now with the way he is seeking to sabotage the split-up of Western Power - had a secret privatisation agenda. That is very clear. There was a serious, major report on the partial privatisation of the Western Power Corporation, and there was a clear undertaking by the last Liberal Government to table a list of all such reports in this House every six months. However, that report failed to appear. As the former minister has already admitted, he knew of the existence of that report. It was a serious report. Perhaps through investigations, the former minister might be able to tell us how much it cost, but I suspect it would have been tens of thousands of dollars. The Leader of the Opposition must explain whether it was just an oversight or part of his cover-up that he withdrew the title of this report from the tabled documents. Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to know very clearly if you are accusing me of withdrawing that report. You make the accusation and I will deal with it. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: As has already been indicated by the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition has a track record of not telling the truth. The member for Ningaloo set it out in the papers. Withdrawal of Remark The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House knows that that is unparliamentary and I direct him to withdraw that comment. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I withdraw, Mr Speaker. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE: The member for Ningaloo has stated it publicly outside this place, and it has been printed in all the papers; everyone knows. The issue is that we cannot say it in this Chamber because it is unparliamentary. However, it has been published in the papers; everyone knows it. The issue now is the credibility of the Leader of the Opposition. Given that he has this track record, and given that we have evidence of this report and of the tabled government reports on the inquiries by the consultants, we know that the truth was not given to this House. That report was not truthfully reported. The issue for the Leader of the Opposition now is to put on the record what he knew about that and whether he was involved in falsifying those records to mislead this House. It is incumbent on the Leader of the Opposition to make a statement and put on the record the facts as he understands them.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I am saying to the Leader of the Opposition that when he was the Leader of the House, six-monthly reports on what consultants had produced for government were tabled. However, the report that was prepared on Western Power Corporation, which he admitted just a few minutes ago he was aware of and which he now claims ministers should have detailed knowledge of, was not in the tabled documents. There was no mention of the title of that Western Power Corporation report. Mr C.J. Barnett: You accused me before of withdrawing or taking out that report, didn’t you? Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I am asking the Leader of the Opposition to explain whether it was an oversight or whether he was involved in withdrawing the title of that report from the tabled reports in this place. Mr C.J. Barnett: That is an accusation of improper conduct. Are you accusing me of improper conduct as a minister? Mr J.C. KOBELKE: We have clear evidence that the Leader of the Opposition, when in government - and still now with the way he is seeking to sabotage the split-up of Western Power - had a secret privatisation agenda. That is very clear. There was a serious, major report on the partial privatisation of the Western Power Corporation, and there was a clear undertaking by the last Liberal Government to table a list of all such reports in this House every six months. However, that report failed to appear. As the former minister has already admitted, he knew of the existence of that report. It was a serious report. Perhaps through investigations, the former minister might be able to tell us how much it cost, but I suspect it would have been tens of thousands of dollars. The Leader of the Opposition must explain whether it was just an oversight or part of his cover-up that he withdrew the title of this report from the tabled documents. Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to know very clearly if you are accusing me of withdrawing that report. You make the accusation and I will deal with it. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: As has already been indicated by the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition has a track record of not telling the truth. The member for Ningaloo set it out in the papers. Withdrawal of Remark The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House knows that that is unparliamentary and I direct him to withdraw that comment. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I withdraw, Mr Speaker. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE: The member for Ningaloo has stated it publicly outside this place, and it has been printed in all the papers; everyone knows. The issue is that we cannot say it in this Chamber because it is unparliamentary. However, it has been published in the papers; everyone knows it. The issue now is the credibility of the Leader of the Opposition. Given that he has this track record, and given that we have evidence of this report and of the tabled government reports on the inquiries by the consultants, we know that the truth was not given to this House. That report was not truthfully reported. The issue for the Leader of the Opposition now is to put on the record what he knew about that and whether he was involved in falsifying those records to mislead this House. It is incumbent on the Leader of the Opposition to make a statement and put on the record the facts as he understands them.
Mr C.J. Barnett: You accused me before of withdrawing or taking out that report, didn’t you? Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I am asking the Leader of the Opposition to explain whether it was an oversight or whether he was involved in withdrawing the title of that report from the tabled reports in this place. Mr C.J. Barnett: That is an accusation of improper conduct. Are you accusing me of improper conduct as a minister? Mr J.C. KOBELKE: We have clear evidence that the Leader of the Opposition, when in government - and still now with the way he is seeking to sabotage the split-up of Western Power - had a secret privatisation agenda. That is very clear. There was a serious, major report on the partial privatisation of the Western Power Corporation, and there was a clear undertaking by the last Liberal Government to table a list of all such reports in this House every six months. However, that report failed to appear. As the former minister has already admitted, he knew of the existence of that report. It was a serious report. Perhaps through investigations, the former minister might be able to tell us how much it cost, but I suspect it would have been tens of thousands of dollars. The Leader of the Opposition must explain whether it was just an oversight or part of his cover-up that he withdrew the title of this report from the tabled documents. Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to know very clearly if you are accusing me of withdrawing that report. You make the accusation and I will deal with it. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: As has already been indicated by the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition has a track record of not telling the truth. The member for Ningaloo set it out in the papers. Withdrawal of Remark The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House knows that that is unparliamentary and I direct him to withdraw that comment. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I withdraw, Mr Speaker. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE: The member for Ningaloo has stated it publicly outside this place, and it has been printed in all the papers; everyone knows. The issue is that we cannot say it in this Chamber because it is unparliamentary. However, it has been published in the papers; everyone knows it. The issue now is the credibility of the Leader of the Opposition. Given that he has this track record, and given that we have evidence of this report and of the tabled government reports on the inquiries by the consultants, we know that the truth was not given to this House. That report was not truthfully reported. The issue for the Leader of the Opposition now is to put on the record what he knew about that and whether he was involved in falsifying those records to mislead this House. It is incumbent on the Leader of the Opposition to make a statement and put on the record the facts as he understands them.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I am asking the Leader of the Opposition to explain whether it was an oversight or whether he was involved in withdrawing the title of that report from the tabled reports in this place. Mr C.J. Barnett: That is an accusation of improper conduct. Are you accusing me of improper conduct as a minister? Mr J.C. KOBELKE: We have clear evidence that the Leader of the Opposition, when in government - and still now with the way he is seeking to sabotage the split-up of Western Power - had a secret privatisation agenda. That is very clear. There was a serious, major report on the partial privatisation of the Western Power Corporation, and there was a clear undertaking by the last Liberal Government to table a list of all such reports in this House every six months. However, that report failed to appear. As the former minister has already admitted, he knew of the existence of that report. It was a serious report. Perhaps through investigations, the former minister might be able to tell us how much it cost, but I suspect it would have been tens of thousands of dollars. The Leader of the Opposition must explain whether it was just an oversight or part of his cover-up that he withdrew the title of this report from the tabled documents. Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to know very clearly if you are accusing me of withdrawing that report. You make the accusation and I will deal with it. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: As has already been indicated by the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition has a track record of not telling the truth. The member for Ningaloo set it out in the papers. Withdrawal of Remark The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House knows that that is unparliamentary and I direct him to withdraw that comment. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I withdraw, Mr Speaker. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE: The member for Ningaloo has stated it publicly outside this place, and it has been printed in all the papers; everyone knows. The issue is that we cannot say it in this Chamber because it is unparliamentary. However, it has been published in the papers; everyone knows it. The issue now is the credibility of the Leader of the Opposition. Given that he has this track record, and given that we have evidence of this report and of the tabled government reports on the inquiries by the consultants, we know that the truth was not given to this House. That report was not truthfully reported. The issue for the Leader of the Opposition now is to put on the record what he knew about that and whether he was involved in falsifying those records to mislead this House. It is incumbent on the Leader of the Opposition to make a statement and put on the record the facts as he understands them.
Mr C.J. Barnett: That is an accusation of improper conduct. Are you accusing me of improper conduct as a minister? Mr J.C. KOBELKE: We have clear evidence that the Leader of the Opposition, when in government - and still now with the way he is seeking to sabotage the split-up of Western Power - had a secret privatisation agenda. That is very clear. There was a serious, major report on the partial privatisation of the Western Power Corporation, and there was a clear undertaking by the last Liberal Government to table a list of all such reports in this House every six months. However, that report failed to appear. As the former minister has already admitted, he knew of the existence of that report. It was a serious report. Perhaps through investigations, the former minister might be able to tell us how much it cost, but I suspect it would have been tens of thousands of dollars. The Leader of the Opposition must explain whether it was just an oversight or part of his cover-up that he withdrew the title of this report from the tabled documents. Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to know very clearly if you are accusing me of withdrawing that report. You make the accusation and I will deal with it. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: As has already been indicated by the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition has a track record of not telling the truth. The member for Ningaloo set it out in the papers. Withdrawal of Remark The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House knows that that is unparliamentary and I direct him to withdraw that comment. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I withdraw, Mr Speaker. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE: The member for Ningaloo has stated it publicly outside this place, and it has been printed in all the papers; everyone knows. The issue is that we cannot say it in this Chamber because it is unparliamentary. However, it has been published in the papers; everyone knows it. The issue now is the credibility of the Leader of the Opposition. Given that he has this track record, and given that we have evidence of this report and of the tabled government reports on the inquiries by the consultants, we know that the truth was not given to this House. That report was not truthfully reported. The issue for the Leader of the Opposition now is to put on the record what he knew about that and whether he was involved in falsifying those records to mislead this House. It is incumbent on the Leader of the Opposition to make a statement and put on the record the facts as he understands them.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE: We have clear evidence that the Leader of the Opposition, when in government - and still now with the way he is seeking to sabotage the split-up of Western Power - had a secret privatisation agenda. That is very clear. There was a serious, major report on the partial privatisation of the Western Power Corporation, and there was a clear undertaking by the last Liberal Government to table a list of all such reports in this House every six months. However, that report failed to appear. As the former minister has already admitted, he knew of the existence of that report. It was a serious report. Perhaps through investigations, the former minister might be able to tell us how much it cost, but I suspect it would have been tens of thousands of dollars. The Leader of the Opposition must explain whether it was just an oversight or part of his cover-up that he withdrew the title of this report from the tabled documents. Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to know very clearly if you are accusing me of withdrawing that report. You make the accusation and I will deal with it. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: As has already been indicated by the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition has a track record of not telling the truth. The member for Ningaloo set it out in the papers. Withdrawal of Remark The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House knows that that is unparliamentary and I direct him to withdraw that comment. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I withdraw, Mr Speaker. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE: The member for Ningaloo has stated it publicly outside this place, and it has been printed in all the papers; everyone knows. The issue is that we cannot say it in this Chamber because it is unparliamentary. However, it has been published in the papers; everyone knows it. The issue now is the credibility of the Leader of the Opposition. Given that he has this track record, and given that we have evidence of this report and of the tabled government reports on the inquiries by the consultants, we know that the truth was not given to this House. That report was not truthfully reported. The issue for the Leader of the Opposition now is to put on the record what he knew about that and whether he was involved in falsifying those records to mislead this House. It is incumbent on the Leader of the Opposition to make a statement and put on the record the facts as he understands them.
Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to know very clearly if you are accusing me of withdrawing that report. You make the accusation and I will deal with it. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: As has already been indicated by the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition has a track record of not telling the truth. The member for Ningaloo set it out in the papers. Withdrawal of Remark The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House knows that that is unparliamentary and I direct him to withdraw that comment. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I withdraw, Mr Speaker. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE: The member for Ningaloo has stated it publicly outside this place, and it has been printed in all the papers; everyone knows. The issue is that we cannot say it in this Chamber because it is unparliamentary. However, it has been published in the papers; everyone knows it. The issue now is the credibility of the Leader of the Opposition. Given that he has this track record, and given that we have evidence of this report and of the tabled government reports on the inquiries by the consultants, we know that the truth was not given to this House. That report was not truthfully reported. The issue for the Leader of the Opposition now is to put on the record what he knew about that and whether he was involved in falsifying those records to mislead this House. It is incumbent on the Leader of the Opposition to make a statement and put on the record the facts as he understands them.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE: As has already been indicated by the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition has a track record of not telling the truth. The member for Ningaloo set it out in the papers. Withdrawal of Remark The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House knows that that is unparliamentary and I direct him to withdraw that comment. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I withdraw, Mr Speaker. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE: The member for Ningaloo has stated it publicly outside this place, and it has been printed in all the papers; everyone knows. The issue is that we cannot say it in this Chamber because it is unparliamentary. However, it has been published in the papers; everyone knows it. The issue now is the credibility of the Leader of the Opposition. Given that he has this track record, and given that we have evidence of this report and of the tabled government reports on the inquiries by the consultants, we know that the truth was not given to this House. That report was not truthfully reported. The issue for the Leader of the Opposition now is to put on the record what he knew about that and whether he was involved in falsifying those records to mislead this House. It is incumbent on the Leader of the Opposition to make a statement and put on the record the facts as he understands them.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I withdraw, Mr Speaker. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE: The member for Ningaloo has stated it publicly outside this place, and it has been printed in all the papers; everyone knows. The issue is that we cannot say it in this Chamber because it is unparliamentary. However, it has been published in the papers; everyone knows it. The issue now is the credibility of the Leader of the Opposition. Given that he has this track record, and given that we have evidence of this report and of the tabled government reports on the inquiries by the consultants, we know that the truth was not given to this House. That report was not truthfully reported. The issue for the Leader of the Opposition now is to put on the record what he knew about that and whether he was involved in falsifying those records to mislead this House. It is incumbent on the Leader of the Opposition to make a statement and put on the record the facts as he understands them.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE replied: I thank the member for the question. It is very clear that the Gallop Government places great store on openness and accountability. One of the measures of that accountability is how we compare with our predecessor, which had a very different track record in this area. Yesterday the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure tabled the railway contract - something that the other side would not do when it was in government. It never tabled a major contract, as this Government has done. Clearly, that is an example of much greater accountability and openness. Another important measure of accountability is the tabling of the six-monthly consultants’ reports. I understand that we will hopefully have one ready for tabling next week. The previous Government also tabled consultants’ reports. However, we have found that it did not always tell the truth. The previous Government tabled consultants’ reports, claiming that they showed the money that had been spent on consultants and their reports over a six-month period. However, we know that the report just tabled by the Premier - that is, the Macquarie Bank secret privatisation report - was never listed in those tables. That secret privatisation report did not appear in the tabled documents that set out the reports that had been produced for the last Government. That report by Macquarie Corporate Finance, a division of Macquarie Bank, is from a major financial institution. It is a very serious report. It would have cost tens of thousands of dollars at least. However, did the last Government or the Leader of the Opposition when he was a minister make sure that was in the tabled reports? No. The question that the Leader of the Opposition must answer is whether he deliberately had it taken out of the tabled reports. The Leader of the Opposition should check his records by tomorrow. He should go through the dark recesses of his memory and give us an answer about whether those tabled six-monthly reports did not contain his report on Western Power because he took specific action to make sure that this House was deceived. There was a six-monthly report that purported to show all the consultants’ reports that had been produced for government. In that six-monthly period and in the next two six-monthly periods there is no mention of the “Western Power Corporation: The Path to Privatisation” report by Macquarie Corporate Finance. Mr C.J. Barnett: What is the accusation? That is what I want to know. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I am saying to the Leader of the Opposition that when he was the Leader of the House, six-monthly reports on what consultants had produced for government were tabled. However, the report that was prepared on Western Power Corporation, which he admitted just a few minutes ago he was aware of and which he now claims ministers should have detailed knowledge of, was not in the tabled documents. There was no mention of the title of that Western Power Corporation report. Mr C.J. Barnett: You accused me before of withdrawing or taking out that report, didn’t you? Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I am asking the Leader of the Opposition to explain whether it was an oversight or whether he was involved in withdrawing the title of that report from the tabled reports in this place. Mr C.J. Barnett: That is an accusation of improper conduct. Are you accusing me of improper conduct as a minister? Mr J.C. KOBELKE: We have clear evidence that the Leader of the Opposition, when in government - and still now with the way he is seeking to sabotage the split-up of Western Power - had a secret privatisation agenda. That is very clear. There was a serious, major report on the partial privatisation of the Western Power Corporation, and there was a clear undertaking by the last Liberal Government to table a list of all such reports in this House every six months. However, that report failed to appear. As the former minister has already admitted, he knew of the existence of that report. It was a serious report. Perhaps through investigations, the former minister might be able to tell us how much it cost, but I suspect it would have been tens of thousands of dollars. The Leader of the Opposition must explain whether it was just an oversight or part of his cover-up that he withdrew the title of this report from the tabled documents. Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to know very clearly if you are accusing me of withdrawing that report. You make the accusation and I will deal with it. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: As has already been indicated by the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition has a track record of not telling the truth. The member for Ningaloo set it out in the papers. Withdrawal of Remark The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House knows that that is unparliamentary and I direct him to withdraw that comment. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I withdraw, Mr Speaker. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE: The member for Ningaloo has stated it publicly outside this place, and it has been printed in all the papers; everyone knows. The issue is that we cannot say it in this Chamber because it is unparliamentary. However, it has been published in the papers; everyone knows it. The issue now is the credibility of the Leader of the Opposition. Given that he has this track record, and given that we have evidence of this report and of the tabled government reports on the inquiries by the consultants, we know that the truth was not given to this House. That report was not truthfully reported. The issue for the Leader of the Opposition now is to put on the record what he knew about that and whether he was involved in falsifying those records to mislead this House. It is incumbent on the Leader of the Opposition to make a statement and put on the record the facts as he understands them.
I thank the member for the question. It is very clear that the Gallop Government places great store on openness and accountability. One of the measures of that accountability is how we compare with our predecessor, which had a very different track record in this area. Yesterday the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure tabled the railway contract - something that the other side would not do when it was in government. It never tabled a major contract, as this Government has done. Clearly, that is an example of much greater accountability and openness. Another important measure of accountability is the tabling of the six-monthly consultants’ reports. I understand that we will hopefully have one ready for tabling next week. The previous Government also tabled consultants’ reports. However, we have found that it did not always tell the truth. The previous Government tabled consultants’ reports, claiming that they showed the money that had been spent on consultants and their reports over a six-month period. However, we know that the report just tabled by the Premier - that is, the Macquarie Bank secret privatisation report - was never listed in those tables. That secret privatisation report did not appear in the tabled documents that set out the reports that had been produced for the last Government. That report by Macquarie Corporate Finance, a division of Macquarie Bank, is from a major financial institution. It is a very serious report. It would have cost tens of thousands of dollars at least. However, did the last Government or the Leader of the Opposition when he was a minister make sure that was in the tabled reports? No. The question that the Leader of the Opposition must answer is whether he deliberately had it taken out of the tabled reports. The Leader of the Opposition should check his records by tomorrow. He should go through the dark recesses of his memory and give us an answer about whether those tabled six-monthly reports did not contain his report on Western Power because he took specific action to make sure that this House was deceived. There was a six-monthly report that purported to show all the consultants’ reports that had been produced for government. In that six-monthly period and in the next two six-monthly periods there is no mention of the “Western Power Corporation: The Path to Privatisation” report by Macquarie Corporate Finance. Mr C.J. Barnett: What is the accusation? That is what I want to know. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I am saying to the Leader of the Opposition that when he was the Leader of the House, six-monthly reports on what consultants had produced for government were tabled. However, the report that was prepared on Western Power Corporation, which he admitted just a few minutes ago he was aware of and which he now claims ministers should have detailed knowledge of, was not in the tabled documents. There was no mention of the title of that Western Power Corporation report. Mr C.J. Barnett: You accused me before of withdrawing or taking out that report, didn’t you? Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I am asking the Leader of the Opposition to explain whether it was an oversight or whether he was involved in withdrawing the title of that report from the tabled reports in this place. Mr C.J. Barnett: That is an accusation of improper conduct. Are you accusing me of improper conduct as a minister? Mr J.C. KOBELKE: We have clear evidence that the Leader of the Opposition, when in government - and still now with the way he is seeking to sabotage the split-up of Western Power - had a secret privatisation agenda. That is very clear. There was a serious, major report on the partial privatisation of the Western Power Corporation, and there was a clear undertaking by the last Liberal Government to table a list of all such reports in this House every six months. However, that report failed to appear. As the former minister has already admitted, he knew of the existence of that report. It was a serious report. Perhaps through investigations, the former minister might be able to tell us how much it cost, but I suspect it would have been tens of thousands of dollars. The Leader of the Opposition must explain whether it was just an oversight or part of his cover-up that he withdrew the title of this report from the tabled documents. Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to know very clearly if you are accusing me of withdrawing that report. You make the accusation and I will deal with it. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: As has already been indicated by the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition has a track record of not telling the truth. The member for Ningaloo set it out in the papers. Withdrawal of Remark The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House knows that that is unparliamentary and I direct him to withdraw that comment. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I withdraw, Mr Speaker. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE: The member for Ningaloo has stated it publicly outside this place, and it has been printed in all the papers; everyone knows. The issue is that we cannot say it in this Chamber because it is unparliamentary. However, it has been published in the papers; everyone knows it. The issue now is the credibility of the Leader of the Opposition. Given that he has this track record, and given that we have evidence of this report and of the tabled government reports on the inquiries by the consultants, we know that the truth was not given to this House. That report was not truthfully reported. The issue for the Leader of the Opposition now is to put on the record what he knew about that and whether he was involved in falsifying those records to mislead this House. It is incumbent on the Leader of the Opposition to make a statement and put on the record the facts as he understands them.
Another important measure of accountability is the tabling of the six-monthly consultants’ reports. I understand that we will hopefully have one ready for tabling next week. The previous Government also tabled consultants’ reports. However, we have found that it did not always tell the truth. The previous Government tabled consultants’ reports, claiming that they showed the money that had been spent on consultants and their reports over a six-month period. However, we know that the report just tabled by the Premier - that is, the Macquarie Bank secret privatisation report - was never listed in those tables. That secret privatisation report did not appear in the tabled documents that set out the reports that had been produced for the last Government. That report by Macquarie Corporate Finance, a division of Macquarie Bank, is from a major financial institution. It is a very serious report. It would have cost tens of thousands of dollars at least. However, did the last Government or the Leader of the Opposition when he was a minister make sure that was in the tabled reports? No. The question that the Leader of the Opposition must answer is whether he deliberately had it taken out of the tabled reports. The Leader of the Opposition should check his records by tomorrow. He should go through the dark recesses of his memory and give us an answer about whether those tabled six-monthly reports did not contain his report on Western Power because he took specific action to make sure that this House was deceived. There was a six-monthly report that purported to show all the consultants’ reports that had been produced for government. In that six-monthly period and in the next two six-monthly periods there is no mention of the “Western Power Corporation: The Path to Privatisation” report by Macquarie Corporate Finance. Mr C.J. Barnett: What is the accusation? That is what I want to know. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I am saying to the Leader of the Opposition that when he was the Leader of the House, six-monthly reports on what consultants had produced for government were tabled. However, the report that was prepared on Western Power Corporation, which he admitted just a few minutes ago he was aware of and which he now claims ministers should have detailed knowledge of, was not in the tabled documents. There was no mention of the title of that Western Power Corporation report. Mr C.J. Barnett: You accused me before of withdrawing or taking out that report, didn’t you? Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I am asking the Leader of the Opposition to explain whether it was an oversight or whether he was involved in withdrawing the title of that report from the tabled reports in this place. Mr C.J. Barnett: That is an accusation of improper conduct. Are you accusing me of improper conduct as a minister? Mr J.C. KOBELKE: We have clear evidence that the Leader of the Opposition, when in government - and still now with the way he is seeking to sabotage the split-up of Western Power - had a secret privatisation agenda. That is very clear. There was a serious, major report on the partial privatisation of the Western Power Corporation, and there was a clear undertaking by the last Liberal Government to table a list of all such reports in this House every six months. However, that report failed to appear. As the former minister has already admitted, he knew of the existence of that report. It was a serious report. Perhaps through investigations, the former minister might be able to tell us how much it cost, but I suspect it would have been tens of thousands of dollars. The Leader of the Opposition must explain whether it was just an oversight or part of his cover-up that he withdrew the title of this report from the tabled documents. Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to know very clearly if you are accusing me of withdrawing that report. You make the accusation and I will deal with it. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: As has already been indicated by the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition has a track record of not telling the truth. The member for Ningaloo set it out in the papers. Withdrawal of Remark The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House knows that that is unparliamentary and I direct him to withdraw that comment. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I withdraw, Mr Speaker. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE: The member for Ningaloo has stated it publicly outside this place, and it has been printed in all the papers; everyone knows. The issue is that we cannot say it in this Chamber because it is unparliamentary. However, it has been published in the papers; everyone knows it. The issue now is the credibility of the Leader of the Opposition. Given that he has this track record, and given that we have evidence of this report and of the tabled government reports on the inquiries by the consultants, we know that the truth was not given to this House. That report was not truthfully reported. The issue for the Leader of the Opposition now is to put on the record what he knew about that and whether he was involved in falsifying those records to mislead this House. It is incumbent on the Leader of the Opposition to make a statement and put on the record the facts as he understands them.
Mr C.J. Barnett: What is the accusation? That is what I want to know. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I am saying to the Leader of the Opposition that when he was the Leader of the House, six-monthly reports on what consultants had produced for government were tabled. However, the report that was prepared on Western Power Corporation, which he admitted just a few minutes ago he was aware of and which he now claims ministers should have detailed knowledge of, was not in the tabled documents. There was no mention of the title of that Western Power Corporation report. Mr C.J. Barnett: You accused me before of withdrawing or taking out that report, didn’t you? Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I am asking the Leader of the Opposition to explain whether it was an oversight or whether he was involved in withdrawing the title of that report from the tabled reports in this place. Mr C.J. Barnett: That is an accusation of improper conduct. Are you accusing me of improper conduct as a minister? Mr J.C. KOBELKE: We have clear evidence that the Leader of the Opposition, when in government - and still now with the way he is seeking to sabotage the split-up of Western Power - had a secret privatisation agenda. That is very clear. There was a serious, major report on the partial privatisation of the Western Power Corporation, and there was a clear undertaking by the last Liberal Government to table a list of all such reports in this House every six months. However, that report failed to appear. As the former minister has already admitted, he knew of the existence of that report. It was a serious report. Perhaps through investigations, the former minister might be able to tell us how much it cost, but I suspect it would have been tens of thousands of dollars. The Leader of the Opposition must explain whether it was just an oversight or part of his cover-up that he withdrew the title of this report from the tabled documents. Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to know very clearly if you are accusing me of withdrawing that report. You make the accusation and I will deal with it. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: As has already been indicated by the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition has a track record of not telling the truth. The member for Ningaloo set it out in the papers. Withdrawal of Remark The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House knows that that is unparliamentary and I direct him to withdraw that comment. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I withdraw, Mr Speaker. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE: The member for Ningaloo has stated it publicly outside this place, and it has been printed in all the papers; everyone knows. The issue is that we cannot say it in this Chamber because it is unparliamentary. However, it has been published in the papers; everyone knows it. The issue now is the credibility of the Leader of the Opposition. Given that he has this track record, and given that we have evidence of this report and of the tabled government reports on the inquiries by the consultants, we know that the truth was not given to this House. That report was not truthfully reported. The issue for the Leader of the Opposition now is to put on the record what he knew about that and whether he was involved in falsifying those records to mislead this House. It is incumbent on the Leader of the Opposition to make a statement and put on the record the facts as he understands them.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I am saying to the Leader of the Opposition that when he was the Leader of the House, six-monthly reports on what consultants had produced for government were tabled. However, the report that was prepared on Western Power Corporation, which he admitted just a few minutes ago he was aware of and which he now claims ministers should have detailed knowledge of, was not in the tabled documents. There was no mention of the title of that Western Power Corporation report. Mr C.J. Barnett: You accused me before of withdrawing or taking out that report, didn’t you? Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I am asking the Leader of the Opposition to explain whether it was an oversight or whether he was involved in withdrawing the title of that report from the tabled reports in this place. Mr C.J. Barnett: That is an accusation of improper conduct. Are you accusing me of improper conduct as a minister? Mr J.C. KOBELKE: We have clear evidence that the Leader of the Opposition, when in government - and still now with the way he is seeking to sabotage the split-up of Western Power - had a secret privatisation agenda. That is very clear. There was a serious, major report on the partial privatisation of the Western Power Corporation, and there was a clear undertaking by the last Liberal Government to table a list of all such reports in this House every six months. However, that report failed to appear. As the former minister has already admitted, he knew of the existence of that report. It was a serious report. Perhaps through investigations, the former minister might be able to tell us how much it cost, but I suspect it would have been tens of thousands of dollars. The Leader of the Opposition must explain whether it was just an oversight or part of his cover-up that he withdrew the title of this report from the tabled documents. Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to know very clearly if you are accusing me of withdrawing that report. You make the accusation and I will deal with it. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: As has already been indicated by the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition has a track record of not telling the truth. The member for Ningaloo set it out in the papers. Withdrawal of Remark The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House knows that that is unparliamentary and I direct him to withdraw that comment. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I withdraw, Mr Speaker. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE: The member for Ningaloo has stated it publicly outside this place, and it has been printed in all the papers; everyone knows. The issue is that we cannot say it in this Chamber because it is unparliamentary. However, it has been published in the papers; everyone knows it. The issue now is the credibility of the Leader of the Opposition. Given that he has this track record, and given that we have evidence of this report and of the tabled government reports on the inquiries by the consultants, we know that the truth was not given to this House. That report was not truthfully reported. The issue for the Leader of the Opposition now is to put on the record what he knew about that and whether he was involved in falsifying those records to mislead this House. It is incumbent on the Leader of the Opposition to make a statement and put on the record the facts as he understands them.
Mr C.J. Barnett: You accused me before of withdrawing or taking out that report, didn’t you? Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I am asking the Leader of the Opposition to explain whether it was an oversight or whether he was involved in withdrawing the title of that report from the tabled reports in this place. Mr C.J. Barnett: That is an accusation of improper conduct. Are you accusing me of improper conduct as a minister? Mr J.C. KOBELKE: We have clear evidence that the Leader of the Opposition, when in government - and still now with the way he is seeking to sabotage the split-up of Western Power - had a secret privatisation agenda. That is very clear. There was a serious, major report on the partial privatisation of the Western Power Corporation, and there was a clear undertaking by the last Liberal Government to table a list of all such reports in this House every six months. However, that report failed to appear. As the former minister has already admitted, he knew of the existence of that report. It was a serious report. Perhaps through investigations, the former minister might be able to tell us how much it cost, but I suspect it would have been tens of thousands of dollars. The Leader of the Opposition must explain whether it was just an oversight or part of his cover-up that he withdrew the title of this report from the tabled documents. Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to know very clearly if you are accusing me of withdrawing that report. You make the accusation and I will deal with it. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: As has already been indicated by the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition has a track record of not telling the truth. The member for Ningaloo set it out in the papers. Withdrawal of Remark The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House knows that that is unparliamentary and I direct him to withdraw that comment. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I withdraw, Mr Speaker. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE: The member for Ningaloo has stated it publicly outside this place, and it has been printed in all the papers; everyone knows. The issue is that we cannot say it in this Chamber because it is unparliamentary. However, it has been published in the papers; everyone knows it. The issue now is the credibility of the Leader of the Opposition. Given that he has this track record, and given that we have evidence of this report and of the tabled government reports on the inquiries by the consultants, we know that the truth was not given to this House. That report was not truthfully reported. The issue for the Leader of the Opposition now is to put on the record what he knew about that and whether he was involved in falsifying those records to mislead this House. It is incumbent on the Leader of the Opposition to make a statement and put on the record the facts as he understands them.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I am asking the Leader of the Opposition to explain whether it was an oversight or whether he was involved in withdrawing the title of that report from the tabled reports in this place. Mr C.J. Barnett: That is an accusation of improper conduct. Are you accusing me of improper conduct as a minister? Mr J.C. KOBELKE: We have clear evidence that the Leader of the Opposition, when in government - and still now with the way he is seeking to sabotage the split-up of Western Power - had a secret privatisation agenda. That is very clear. There was a serious, major report on the partial privatisation of the Western Power Corporation, and there was a clear undertaking by the last Liberal Government to table a list of all such reports in this House every six months. However, that report failed to appear. As the former minister has already admitted, he knew of the existence of that report. It was a serious report. Perhaps through investigations, the former minister might be able to tell us how much it cost, but I suspect it would have been tens of thousands of dollars. The Leader of the Opposition must explain whether it was just an oversight or part of his cover-up that he withdrew the title of this report from the tabled documents. Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to know very clearly if you are accusing me of withdrawing that report. You make the accusation and I will deal with it. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: As has already been indicated by the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition has a track record of not telling the truth. The member for Ningaloo set it out in the papers. Withdrawal of Remark The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House knows that that is unparliamentary and I direct him to withdraw that comment. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I withdraw, Mr Speaker. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE: The member for Ningaloo has stated it publicly outside this place, and it has been printed in all the papers; everyone knows. The issue is that we cannot say it in this Chamber because it is unparliamentary. However, it has been published in the papers; everyone knows it. The issue now is the credibility of the Leader of the Opposition. Given that he has this track record, and given that we have evidence of this report and of the tabled government reports on the inquiries by the consultants, we know that the truth was not given to this House. That report was not truthfully reported. The issue for the Leader of the Opposition now is to put on the record what he knew about that and whether he was involved in falsifying those records to mislead this House. It is incumbent on the Leader of the Opposition to make a statement and put on the record the facts as he understands them.
Mr C.J. Barnett: That is an accusation of improper conduct. Are you accusing me of improper conduct as a minister? Mr J.C. KOBELKE: We have clear evidence that the Leader of the Opposition, when in government - and still now with the way he is seeking to sabotage the split-up of Western Power - had a secret privatisation agenda. That is very clear. There was a serious, major report on the partial privatisation of the Western Power Corporation, and there was a clear undertaking by the last Liberal Government to table a list of all such reports in this House every six months. However, that report failed to appear. As the former minister has already admitted, he knew of the existence of that report. It was a serious report. Perhaps through investigations, the former minister might be able to tell us how much it cost, but I suspect it would have been tens of thousands of dollars. The Leader of the Opposition must explain whether it was just an oversight or part of his cover-up that he withdrew the title of this report from the tabled documents. Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to know very clearly if you are accusing me of withdrawing that report. You make the accusation and I will deal with it. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: As has already been indicated by the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition has a track record of not telling the truth. The member for Ningaloo set it out in the papers. Withdrawal of Remark The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House knows that that is unparliamentary and I direct him to withdraw that comment. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I withdraw, Mr Speaker. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE: The member for Ningaloo has stated it publicly outside this place, and it has been printed in all the papers; everyone knows. The issue is that we cannot say it in this Chamber because it is unparliamentary. However, it has been published in the papers; everyone knows it. The issue now is the credibility of the Leader of the Opposition. Given that he has this track record, and given that we have evidence of this report and of the tabled government reports on the inquiries by the consultants, we know that the truth was not given to this House. That report was not truthfully reported. The issue for the Leader of the Opposition now is to put on the record what he knew about that and whether he was involved in falsifying those records to mislead this House. It is incumbent on the Leader of the Opposition to make a statement and put on the record the facts as he understands them.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE: We have clear evidence that the Leader of the Opposition, when in government - and still now with the way he is seeking to sabotage the split-up of Western Power - had a secret privatisation agenda. That is very clear. There was a serious, major report on the partial privatisation of the Western Power Corporation, and there was a clear undertaking by the last Liberal Government to table a list of all such reports in this House every six months. However, that report failed to appear. As the former minister has already admitted, he knew of the existence of that report. It was a serious report. Perhaps through investigations, the former minister might be able to tell us how much it cost, but I suspect it would have been tens of thousands of dollars. The Leader of the Opposition must explain whether it was just an oversight or part of his cover-up that he withdrew the title of this report from the tabled documents. Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to know very clearly if you are accusing me of withdrawing that report. You make the accusation and I will deal with it. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: As has already been indicated by the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition has a track record of not telling the truth. The member for Ningaloo set it out in the papers. Withdrawal of Remark The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House knows that that is unparliamentary and I direct him to withdraw that comment. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I withdraw, Mr Speaker. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE: The member for Ningaloo has stated it publicly outside this place, and it has been printed in all the papers; everyone knows. The issue is that we cannot say it in this Chamber because it is unparliamentary. However, it has been published in the papers; everyone knows it. The issue now is the credibility of the Leader of the Opposition. Given that he has this track record, and given that we have evidence of this report and of the tabled government reports on the inquiries by the consultants, we know that the truth was not given to this House. That report was not truthfully reported. The issue for the Leader of the Opposition now is to put on the record what he knew about that and whether he was involved in falsifying those records to mislead this House. It is incumbent on the Leader of the Opposition to make a statement and put on the record the facts as he understands them.
Mr C.J. Barnett: I want to know very clearly if you are accusing me of withdrawing that report. You make the accusation and I will deal with it. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: As has already been indicated by the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition has a track record of not telling the truth. The member for Ningaloo set it out in the papers. Withdrawal of Remark The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House knows that that is unparliamentary and I direct him to withdraw that comment. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I withdraw, Mr Speaker. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE: The member for Ningaloo has stated it publicly outside this place, and it has been printed in all the papers; everyone knows. The issue is that we cannot say it in this Chamber because it is unparliamentary. However, it has been published in the papers; everyone knows it. The issue now is the credibility of the Leader of the Opposition. Given that he has this track record, and given that we have evidence of this report and of the tabled government reports on the inquiries by the consultants, we know that the truth was not given to this House. That report was not truthfully reported. The issue for the Leader of the Opposition now is to put on the record what he knew about that and whether he was involved in falsifying those records to mislead this House. It is incumbent on the Leader of the Opposition to make a statement and put on the record the facts as he understands them.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE: As has already been indicated by the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition has a track record of not telling the truth. The member for Ningaloo set it out in the papers. Withdrawal of Remark The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House knows that that is unparliamentary and I direct him to withdraw that comment. Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I withdraw, Mr Speaker. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE: The member for Ningaloo has stated it publicly outside this place, and it has been printed in all the papers; everyone knows. The issue is that we cannot say it in this Chamber because it is unparliamentary. However, it has been published in the papers; everyone knows it. The issue now is the credibility of the Leader of the Opposition. Given that he has this track record, and given that we have evidence of this report and of the tabled government reports on the inquiries by the consultants, we know that the truth was not given to this House. That report was not truthfully reported. The issue for the Leader of the Opposition now is to put on the record what he knew about that and whether he was involved in falsifying those records to mislead this House. It is incumbent on the Leader of the Opposition to make a statement and put on the record the facts as he understands them.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE: I withdraw, Mr Speaker. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE: The member for Ningaloo has stated it publicly outside this place, and it has been printed in all the papers; everyone knows. The issue is that we cannot say it in this Chamber because it is unparliamentary. However, it has been published in the papers; everyone knows it. The issue now is the credibility of the Leader of the Opposition. Given that he has this track record, and given that we have evidence of this report and of the tabled government reports on the inquiries by the consultants, we know that the truth was not given to this House. That report was not truthfully reported. The issue for the Leader of the Opposition now is to put on the record what he knew about that and whether he was involved in falsifying those records to mislead this House. It is incumbent on the Leader of the Opposition to make a statement and put on the record the facts as he understands them.
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