❓ A Member of Parliament questions the Minister for Emergency Services regarding restrictions on volunteers meeting with MPs, alleging ministerial overreach and fear of transparency. The Minister defends the policy as preventing politicisation and misrepresentation.
AnsweredQoN 1026Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
DEPARTMENT OF FIRE AND
EMERGENCY SERVICES — MEETINGS — MINISTERIAL APPROVAL
1026. Hon COLIN de GRUSSA to the minister representing the
Minister for Emergency Services:
I refer to the minister's
email to me on 22 October 2018, which, according to my notes, states —
As you are aware, contact with any
unit that comes under the responsibility of the Department of Fire and
Emergency Services must be ministerially approved via contacting this office
with an explanation about why the visit is sought.
(1) How does the
minister reconcile a directive to prevent a volunteer from meeting with a member
of Parliament in their own time?
(2) In what capacity does the
minister act in directing volunteers with whom they can or cannot meet?
(3) What does the minister fear from
allowing these meetings to take place?
EMERGENCY SERVICES — MEETINGS — MINISTERIAL APPROVAL
1026. Hon COLIN de GRUSSA to the minister representing the
Minister for Emergency Services:
I refer to the minister's
email to me on 22 October 2018, which, according to my notes, states —
As you are aware, contact with any
unit that comes under the responsibility of the Department of Fire and
Emergency Services must be ministerially approved via contacting this office
with an explanation about why the visit is sought.
(1) How does the
minister reconcile a directive to prevent a volunteer from meeting with a member
of Parliament in their own time?
(2) In what capacity does the
minister act in directing volunteers with whom they can or cannot meet?
(3) What does the minister fear from
allowing these meetings to take place?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1)–(2) The
minister has not prevented volunteers from attending any meetings. The
honourable member was denied permission as he had misrepresented himself as a minister
of the Crown to the Pilbara community. The minister has consistently applied
the same longstanding conventions that applied under the previous government to
all parties and members. The minister has accepted the apology from the Leader
of the Nationals' office for the recent conduct of Nationals members in
the Pilbara.
(3) The minister
has been accommodating of all members' access to government
infrastructure and personnel, but has a duty to prevent politicisation of
volunteers.
some notice of the question.
(1)–(2) The
minister has not prevented volunteers from attending any meetings. The
honourable member was denied permission as he had misrepresented himself as a minister
of the Crown to the Pilbara community. The minister has consistently applied
the same longstanding conventions that applied under the previous government to
all parties and members. The minister has accepted the apology from the Leader
of the Nationals' office for the recent conduct of Nationals members in
the Pilbara.
(3) The minister
has been accommodating of all members' access to government
infrastructure and personnel, but has a duty to prevent politicisation of
volunteers.
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