❓ The Minister for Emergency Services avoids directly answering questions about denying a Nationals WA spokesperson access to volunteers, instead accusing the party of misleading the public and undermining the local Labor member.
AnsweredQoN 826Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
EMERGENCY SERVICES — VOLUNTEERS
826. Ms M.J. DAVIES to the Minister for Emergency Services:
I refer to the minister's refusal to allow the
Nationals WA spokesman for emergency services to meet with volunteers in their
own time while visiting Karratha and Port Hedland last week.
(1) On what grounds did the minister make the decision
to deny a volunteer from speaking to our spokesperson?
(2) Does the minister believe this decision reflects an open
and accountable government?
826. Ms M.J. DAVIES to the Minister for Emergency Services:
I refer to the minister's refusal to allow the
Nationals WA spokesman for emergency services to meet with volunteers in their
own time while visiting Karratha and Port Hedland last week.
(1) On what grounds did the minister make the decision
to deny a volunteer from speaking to our spokesperson?
(2) Does the minister believe this decision reflects an open
and accountable government?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2)
I thank the Leader of the National Party for that question. I have to point out
to the house a very strange event that was taking place up in the Pilbara,
designed deliberately by the National Party to undermine the great work and
effort of the member for Pilbara. Mr Speaker, as you know, the National Party
quite regularly in this house bemoan the fact that it not only lost its member
for Pilbara, who was replaced by our sterling Labor member for Pilbara, but
also that it lost government. It is still in denial and it is still so upset
about it that when its members went to the Pilbara —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member, you have asked a question and now
you are talking all the way through it. Do you want to hear the answer or do we
go on to the next question?
Mr F.M. LOGAN : Mr Speaker, members of the National
Party are so upset about the fact that they lost power in March 2017 and they
cannot get over it because they went to the Pilbara and told everybody that the
regional cabinet had arrived! If the member for Dawesville would like this for
his collection, I will table it for him. Here is a screenshot of the Nationals
WA Twitter account, which says —
Leader @MiaDaviesMLA addresses the
Regional Cabinet launch in #Karratha
Point of Order
Mr V.A. CATANIA : Mr Speaker, the minister is clearly
not answering the question that the Leader of the National Party has asked.
The SPEAKER : There is no point of order.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr F.M. LOGAN : The Twitter
account—this is from Mia Davies—goes on —
''we start with a sundowner
because we're the Nats and we like a bit of fun!''
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr F.M. LOGAN : Those party
animals over there in the National Party —
The SPEAKER : Get back to the
question.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : I am getting
to it.
Ms M.J. Davies interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
National Party, I have just been told that he has to get to the question and
you are asking him something else.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : They are so
much fun. That is why those alt-right people in New South Wales join the
National Party—because they are so much fun! Not only did the National
Party mislead the representatives of various organisations up there —
Point of Order
Mr D.T. REDMAN : The minister
is claiming that the National Party is misleading the public.
The SPEAKER : There is no
point of order. A point of order is not a chance to make a speech. Minister,
get to the point, please.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr F.M. LOGAN : Not only did
National Party members mislead the organisational representatives up there in
the Pilbara and the constituents of the member for Pilbara in saying that they
were the cabinet, but when it came to the VMRS —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : I am on my feet.
Member for Warren–Blackwood, I stood to my feet and you just kept
talking and talking and everyone else joined in, which saved you. When I am on
my feet, I want silence. Minister, you will get to the point, please.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : I will get to
the point. The point is that a poor volunteer from the Volunteer Marine Rescue
Services in Port Hedland was under the assumption that he would be visited by
the minister. That is what he thought, and why would he not assume that? It is
because the National Party was going around telling everybody in the Pilbara
that the cabinet was there.
Ms M.J. Davies interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
Nationals!
Mr
F.M. LOGAN : The Volunteer Marine
Rescue Services, like the State Emergency Service, like the Volunteer Fire and
Emergency Services, and like the Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service, unlike the
bush fire brigades, all belong to the Department of Fire and Emergency
Services. The person responsible for them is the commissioner. Anyone can go
and visit the bush fire brigades because they belong to the local governments
of Western Australia. The VMRS, the VFES, and the SES to a certain point, are
all under the authority of the Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner. That
means that when people go on their stations—this includes the member
for Dawesville —
Mr Z.R.F. Kirkup : That's
two minutes; let's keep it going.
The SPEAKER : You'll
be going, and you will go home early.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : When members
of Parliament go on those stations, they should ask permission because the
commissioner wants to know who is there; and the permission is asked through
the minister's office. The Leader of the Nationals' office
acknowledged that to my office and apologised, and requested permission to do
that only a few hours before Hon Colin de Grussa
was likely to turn up. On that basis, I refused it. If the Leader of the
National Party gives the commissioner and my office notice that she wants to
visit those stations for the volunteers, it will be given, but one thing we
will not have—this was the same for us as it is for you—is
opposition parties politicising volunteers. They are there to do a job on
behalf of the community and not to be misled by groups like yours.
I thank the Leader of the National Party for that question. I have to point out
to the house a very strange event that was taking place up in the Pilbara,
designed deliberately by the National Party to undermine the great work and
effort of the member for Pilbara. Mr Speaker, as you know, the National Party
quite regularly in this house bemoan the fact that it not only lost its member
for Pilbara, who was replaced by our sterling Labor member for Pilbara, but
also that it lost government. It is still in denial and it is still so upset
about it that when its members went to the Pilbara —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member, you have asked a question and now
you are talking all the way through it. Do you want to hear the answer or do we
go on to the next question?
Mr F.M. LOGAN : Mr Speaker, members of the National
Party are so upset about the fact that they lost power in March 2017 and they
cannot get over it because they went to the Pilbara and told everybody that the
regional cabinet had arrived! If the member for Dawesville would like this for
his collection, I will table it for him. Here is a screenshot of the Nationals
WA Twitter account, which says —
Leader @MiaDaviesMLA addresses the
Regional Cabinet launch in #Karratha
Point of Order
Mr V.A. CATANIA : Mr Speaker, the minister is clearly
not answering the question that the Leader of the National Party has asked.
The SPEAKER : There is no point of order.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr F.M. LOGAN : The Twitter
account—this is from Mia Davies—goes on —
''we start with a sundowner
because we're the Nats and we like a bit of fun!''
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr F.M. LOGAN : Those party
animals over there in the National Party —
The SPEAKER : Get back to the
question.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : I am getting
to it.
Ms M.J. Davies interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
National Party, I have just been told that he has to get to the question and
you are asking him something else.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : They are so
much fun. That is why those alt-right people in New South Wales join the
National Party—because they are so much fun! Not only did the National
Party mislead the representatives of various organisations up there —
Point of Order
Mr D.T. REDMAN : The minister
is claiming that the National Party is misleading the public.
The SPEAKER : There is no
point of order. A point of order is not a chance to make a speech. Minister,
get to the point, please.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr F.M. LOGAN : Not only did
National Party members mislead the organisational representatives up there in
the Pilbara and the constituents of the member for Pilbara in saying that they
were the cabinet, but when it came to the VMRS —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : I am on my feet.
Member for Warren–Blackwood, I stood to my feet and you just kept
talking and talking and everyone else joined in, which saved you. When I am on
my feet, I want silence. Minister, you will get to the point, please.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : I will get to
the point. The point is that a poor volunteer from the Volunteer Marine Rescue
Services in Port Hedland was under the assumption that he would be visited by
the minister. That is what he thought, and why would he not assume that? It is
because the National Party was going around telling everybody in the Pilbara
that the cabinet was there.
Ms M.J. Davies interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
Nationals!
Mr
F.M. LOGAN : The Volunteer Marine
Rescue Services, like the State Emergency Service, like the Volunteer Fire and
Emergency Services, and like the Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service, unlike the
bush fire brigades, all belong to the Department of Fire and Emergency
Services. The person responsible for them is the commissioner. Anyone can go
and visit the bush fire brigades because they belong to the local governments
of Western Australia. The VMRS, the VFES, and the SES to a certain point, are
all under the authority of the Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner. That
means that when people go on their stations—this includes the member
for Dawesville —
Mr Z.R.F. Kirkup : That's
two minutes; let's keep it going.
The SPEAKER : You'll
be going, and you will go home early.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : When members
of Parliament go on those stations, they should ask permission because the
commissioner wants to know who is there; and the permission is asked through
the minister's office. The Leader of the Nationals' office
acknowledged that to my office and apologised, and requested permission to do
that only a few hours before Hon Colin de Grussa
was likely to turn up. On that basis, I refused it. If the Leader of the
National Party gives the commissioner and my office notice that she wants to
visit those stations for the volunteers, it will be given, but one thing we
will not have—this was the same for us as it is for you—is
opposition parties politicising volunteers. They are there to do a job on
behalf of the community and not to be misled by groups like yours.
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