❓ Question regarding potential influence from the Premier on the Director of Liquor Licensing concerning midnight lockouts. The Premier denies undue influence, expressing support for measures to reduce violence but affirming the Director's independence.
AnsweredQoN 252Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
DIRECTOR OF LIQUOR LICENSING
(1) Did the Premier or any of his staff provide an indication to the Sunday Times newspaper that he would be contacting or speaking with the Director of Liquor Licensing to seek his support for the proposal to implement midnight lockouts at pubs and bars? (2) If so, and that contact was made, can he explain what was specifically discussed? (3) Will he give an undertaking that neither he nor any of his staff or cabinet will attempt to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in relation to any liquor licensing matter? Mr A.J. CARPENTER
(1) Did the Premier or any of his staff provide an indication to the Sunday Times newspaper that he would be contacting or speaking with the Director of Liquor Licensing to seek his support for the proposal to implement midnight lockouts at pubs and bars? (2) If so, and that contact was made, can he explain what was specifically discussed? (3) Will he give an undertaking that neither he nor any of his staff or cabinet will attempt to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in relation to any liquor licensing matter? Mr A.J. CARPENTER
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(3) In answer to the first part of the question, I certainly have not spoken to the Director of Liquor Licensing about this issue, although I might. Is it the case that the government must not have an opinion on licensing? Mr J.E. McGrath : Yes, but you can’t influence the director. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No. In the third part of the question, the member asked whether I could give an undertaking that we will not unduly influence the director. Of course I can give that undertaking. What a preposterous suggestion! Mr J.E. McGrath : We’re just asking the question. Mr C.J. Barnett : You did a raid on the Sunday Times . It’s a fair call. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Who did—the Director of Liquor Licensing? Mr C.J. Barnett : No, you. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I did? There I was, baton in hand and sirens wailing, charging into the office of the Sunday Times and saying, “Hand over the documents, whatever they are, whoever you are, whatever this is about.” Does anybody honestly think that I cared about the story that the Sunday Times ran? I will tell members where I was. I think that at that time I was visiting the studio of the great Siberian wood sculptor Leontiy Usov, who, I must say, has a particular genius for which he is held in great regard in Russia, New York, Paris and London, although, apparently, he is not held in high regard here. I had never heard of him either. Not only is he a great wood carver, but also his bronze sculpture of Chekhov on the promenade on the Tom River in Tomsk is something of a national opinion provoker because it is a characterisation that does not sit well with some elements of Russian society. I was with Leontiy Usov when, as members opposite are asserting, I was supposed to have been leading the charge in the raid on the offices of the Sunday Times in Perth. I had absolutely no idea that anybody would be conducting such a raid. I recall when I was a reporter on The 7.30 Report that the police raided—if that is the word members want to use—my office and seized the documents that I was working on at the time. It had something to do with some scandal involving the government. Not for one moment did it cross my mind that Richard Court was in disguise and leading the charge in there, seeking to obtain all of the secret information that I had on various members of the then government. It is a ludicrous proposition. I accept that these sorts of silly assertions are made in politics. All sorts of ridiculous, defamatory rubbish is asserted in politics, but I was surprised when some of the most senior journalists in Australia took up this case and seemed to assert that somehow or other the Western Australian government had directed the police to raid the Sunday Times . Any person in a senior role in political journalism will know that it is completely and utterly unthinkable for the Premier or a senior minister of a government to pick up the phone, call the police commissioner and tell him to get going. Those days ended with the fall of the National Party government in Queensland, although I cannot speak for every other government. To return to this matter, yes—perhaps with my Salvation Army background I am tempted towards the thinking of the temperance movement and would like to see a crackdown on binge drinking, after-hours drinking and violence on the streets of Perth. However, I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of trying to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing. This is a position that has been put to the Northbridge group accord. I cannot remember the exact name of the group; the licence holders of Northbridge. It is a position that has been put to them as one that might be worth considering and that the government would support in an effort to reduce the level of violence on the streets of Northbridge after midnight. I have a daughter who is now of an age at which she goes into Northbridge after midnight and goes to nightclubs. She loves it; she says it is amazing and exciting. If I can play a small role in making the streets of Northbridge safer for people of her generation and people of older generations, it should be part of my responsibility. It is preposterous, ridiculous, ill thought-out, ignorant and stupid to suggest that I would seek to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in this matter. Mr J.E. McGrath : Just checking up on you, Premier. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Have we reached a point in politics at which members can make any sort of ridiculous, stupid suggestions and when they get a response say, “Oh, just checking to see if you were doing that or not”? Is that where we are at? Let me respond with this question: would the member for South Perth support the model for a lock-out in Northbridge? Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
(2) If so, and that contact was made, can he explain what was specifically discussed? (3) Will he give an undertaking that neither he nor any of his staff or cabinet will attempt to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in relation to any liquor licensing matter? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(3) In answer to the first part of the question, I certainly have not spoken to the Director of Liquor Licensing about this issue, although I might. Is it the case that the government must not have an opinion on licensing? Mr J.E. McGrath : Yes, but you can’t influence the director. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No. In the third part of the question, the member asked whether I could give an undertaking that we will not unduly influence the director. Of course I can give that undertaking. What a preposterous suggestion! Mr J.E. McGrath : We’re just asking the question. Mr C.J. Barnett : You did a raid on the Sunday Times . It’s a fair call. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Who did—the Director of Liquor Licensing? Mr C.J. Barnett : No, you. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I did? There I was, baton in hand and sirens wailing, charging into the office of the Sunday Times and saying, “Hand over the documents, whatever they are, whoever you are, whatever this is about.” Does anybody honestly think that I cared about the story that the Sunday Times ran? I will tell members where I was. I think that at that time I was visiting the studio of the great Siberian wood sculptor Leontiy Usov, who, I must say, has a particular genius for which he is held in great regard in Russia, New York, Paris and London, although, apparently, he is not held in high regard here. I had never heard of him either. Not only is he a great wood carver, but also his bronze sculpture of Chekhov on the promenade on the Tom River in Tomsk is something of a national opinion provoker because it is a characterisation that does not sit well with some elements of Russian society. I was with Leontiy Usov when, as members opposite are asserting, I was supposed to have been leading the charge in the raid on the offices of the Sunday Times in Perth. I had absolutely no idea that anybody would be conducting such a raid. I recall when I was a reporter on The 7.30 Report that the police raided—if that is the word members want to use—my office and seized the documents that I was working on at the time. It had something to do with some scandal involving the government. Not for one moment did it cross my mind that Richard Court was in disguise and leading the charge in there, seeking to obtain all of the secret information that I had on various members of the then government. It is a ludicrous proposition. I accept that these sorts of silly assertions are made in politics. All sorts of ridiculous, defamatory rubbish is asserted in politics, but I was surprised when some of the most senior journalists in Australia took up this case and seemed to assert that somehow or other the Western Australian government had directed the police to raid the Sunday Times . Any person in a senior role in political journalism will know that it is completely and utterly unthinkable for the Premier or a senior minister of a government to pick up the phone, call the police commissioner and tell him to get going. Those days ended with the fall of the National Party government in Queensland, although I cannot speak for every other government. To return to this matter, yes—perhaps with my Salvation Army background I am tempted towards the thinking of the temperance movement and would like to see a crackdown on binge drinking, after-hours drinking and violence on the streets of Perth. However, I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of trying to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing. This is a position that has been put to the Northbridge group accord. I cannot remember the exact name of the group; the licence holders of Northbridge. It is a position that has been put to them as one that might be worth considering and that the government would support in an effort to reduce the level of violence on the streets of Northbridge after midnight. I have a daughter who is now of an age at which she goes into Northbridge after midnight and goes to nightclubs. She loves it; she says it is amazing and exciting. If I can play a small role in making the streets of Northbridge safer for people of her generation and people of older generations, it should be part of my responsibility. It is preposterous, ridiculous, ill thought-out, ignorant and stupid to suggest that I would seek to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in this matter. Mr J.E. McGrath : Just checking up on you, Premier. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Have we reached a point in politics at which members can make any sort of ridiculous, stupid suggestions and when they get a response say, “Oh, just checking to see if you were doing that or not”? Is that where we are at? Let me respond with this question: would the member for South Perth support the model for a lock-out in Northbridge? Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
(3) Will he give an undertaking that neither he nor any of his staff or cabinet will attempt to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in relation to any liquor licensing matter? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(3) In answer to the first part of the question, I certainly have not spoken to the Director of Liquor Licensing about this issue, although I might. Is it the case that the government must not have an opinion on licensing? Mr J.E. McGrath : Yes, but you can’t influence the director. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No. In the third part of the question, the member asked whether I could give an undertaking that we will not unduly influence the director. Of course I can give that undertaking. What a preposterous suggestion! Mr J.E. McGrath : We’re just asking the question. Mr C.J. Barnett : You did a raid on the Sunday Times . It’s a fair call. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Who did—the Director of Liquor Licensing? Mr C.J. Barnett : No, you. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I did? There I was, baton in hand and sirens wailing, charging into the office of the Sunday Times and saying, “Hand over the documents, whatever they are, whoever you are, whatever this is about.” Does anybody honestly think that I cared about the story that the Sunday Times ran? I will tell members where I was. I think that at that time I was visiting the studio of the great Siberian wood sculptor Leontiy Usov, who, I must say, has a particular genius for which he is held in great regard in Russia, New York, Paris and London, although, apparently, he is not held in high regard here. I had never heard of him either. Not only is he a great wood carver, but also his bronze sculpture of Chekhov on the promenade on the Tom River in Tomsk is something of a national opinion provoker because it is a characterisation that does not sit well with some elements of Russian society. I was with Leontiy Usov when, as members opposite are asserting, I was supposed to have been leading the charge in the raid on the offices of the Sunday Times in Perth. I had absolutely no idea that anybody would be conducting such a raid. I recall when I was a reporter on The 7.30 Report that the police raided—if that is the word members want to use—my office and seized the documents that I was working on at the time. It had something to do with some scandal involving the government. Not for one moment did it cross my mind that Richard Court was in disguise and leading the charge in there, seeking to obtain all of the secret information that I had on various members of the then government. It is a ludicrous proposition. I accept that these sorts of silly assertions are made in politics. All sorts of ridiculous, defamatory rubbish is asserted in politics, but I was surprised when some of the most senior journalists in Australia took up this case and seemed to assert that somehow or other the Western Australian government had directed the police to raid the Sunday Times . Any person in a senior role in political journalism will know that it is completely and utterly unthinkable for the Premier or a senior minister of a government to pick up the phone, call the police commissioner and tell him to get going. Those days ended with the fall of the National Party government in Queensland, although I cannot speak for every other government. To return to this matter, yes—perhaps with my Salvation Army background I am tempted towards the thinking of the temperance movement and would like to see a crackdown on binge drinking, after-hours drinking and violence on the streets of Perth. However, I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of trying to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing. This is a position that has been put to the Northbridge group accord. I cannot remember the exact name of the group; the licence holders of Northbridge. It is a position that has been put to them as one that might be worth considering and that the government would support in an effort to reduce the level of violence on the streets of Northbridge after midnight. I have a daughter who is now of an age at which she goes into Northbridge after midnight and goes to nightclubs. She loves it; she says it is amazing and exciting. If I can play a small role in making the streets of Northbridge safer for people of her generation and people of older generations, it should be part of my responsibility. It is preposterous, ridiculous, ill thought-out, ignorant and stupid to suggest that I would seek to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in this matter. Mr J.E. McGrath : Just checking up on you, Premier. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Have we reached a point in politics at which members can make any sort of ridiculous, stupid suggestions and when they get a response say, “Oh, just checking to see if you were doing that or not”? Is that where we are at? Let me respond with this question: would the member for South Perth support the model for a lock-out in Northbridge? Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(3) In answer to the first part of the question, I certainly have not spoken to the Director of Liquor Licensing about this issue, although I might. Is it the case that the government must not have an opinion on licensing? Mr J.E. McGrath : Yes, but you can’t influence the director. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No. In the third part of the question, the member asked whether I could give an undertaking that we will not unduly influence the director. Of course I can give that undertaking. What a preposterous suggestion! Mr J.E. McGrath : We’re just asking the question. Mr C.J. Barnett : You did a raid on the Sunday Times . It’s a fair call. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Who did—the Director of Liquor Licensing? Mr C.J. Barnett : No, you. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I did? There I was, baton in hand and sirens wailing, charging into the office of the Sunday Times and saying, “Hand over the documents, whatever they are, whoever you are, whatever this is about.” Does anybody honestly think that I cared about the story that the Sunday Times ran? I will tell members where I was. I think that at that time I was visiting the studio of the great Siberian wood sculptor Leontiy Usov, who, I must say, has a particular genius for which he is held in great regard in Russia, New York, Paris and London, although, apparently, he is not held in high regard here. I had never heard of him either. Not only is he a great wood carver, but also his bronze sculpture of Chekhov on the promenade on the Tom River in Tomsk is something of a national opinion provoker because it is a characterisation that does not sit well with some elements of Russian society. I was with Leontiy Usov when, as members opposite are asserting, I was supposed to have been leading the charge in the raid on the offices of the Sunday Times in Perth. I had absolutely no idea that anybody would be conducting such a raid. I recall when I was a reporter on The 7.30 Report that the police raided—if that is the word members want to use—my office and seized the documents that I was working on at the time. It had something to do with some scandal involving the government. Not for one moment did it cross my mind that Richard Court was in disguise and leading the charge in there, seeking to obtain all of the secret information that I had on various members of the then government. It is a ludicrous proposition. I accept that these sorts of silly assertions are made in politics. All sorts of ridiculous, defamatory rubbish is asserted in politics, but I was surprised when some of the most senior journalists in Australia took up this case and seemed to assert that somehow or other the Western Australian government had directed the police to raid the Sunday Times . Any person in a senior role in political journalism will know that it is completely and utterly unthinkable for the Premier or a senior minister of a government to pick up the phone, call the police commissioner and tell him to get going. Those days ended with the fall of the National Party government in Queensland, although I cannot speak for every other government. To return to this matter, yes—perhaps with my Salvation Army background I am tempted towards the thinking of the temperance movement and would like to see a crackdown on binge drinking, after-hours drinking and violence on the streets of Perth. However, I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of trying to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing. This is a position that has been put to the Northbridge group accord. I cannot remember the exact name of the group; the licence holders of Northbridge. It is a position that has been put to them as one that might be worth considering and that the government would support in an effort to reduce the level of violence on the streets of Northbridge after midnight. I have a daughter who is now of an age at which she goes into Northbridge after midnight and goes to nightclubs. She loves it; she says it is amazing and exciting. If I can play a small role in making the streets of Northbridge safer for people of her generation and people of older generations, it should be part of my responsibility. It is preposterous, ridiculous, ill thought-out, ignorant and stupid to suggest that I would seek to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in this matter. Mr J.E. McGrath : Just checking up on you, Premier. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Have we reached a point in politics at which members can make any sort of ridiculous, stupid suggestions and when they get a response say, “Oh, just checking to see if you were doing that or not”? Is that where we are at? Let me respond with this question: would the member for South Perth support the model for a lock-out in Northbridge? Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
(1)-(3) In answer to the first part of the question, I certainly have not spoken to the Director of Liquor Licensing about this issue, although I might. Is it the case that the government must not have an opinion on licensing? Mr J.E. McGrath : Yes, but you can’t influence the director. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No. In the third part of the question, the member asked whether I could give an undertaking that we will not unduly influence the director. Of course I can give that undertaking. What a preposterous suggestion! Mr J.E. McGrath : We’re just asking the question. Mr C.J. Barnett : You did a raid on the Sunday Times . It’s a fair call. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Who did—the Director of Liquor Licensing? Mr C.J. Barnett : No, you. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I did? There I was, baton in hand and sirens wailing, charging into the office of the Sunday Times and saying, “Hand over the documents, whatever they are, whoever you are, whatever this is about.” Does anybody honestly think that I cared about the story that the Sunday Times ran? I will tell members where I was. I think that at that time I was visiting the studio of the great Siberian wood sculptor Leontiy Usov, who, I must say, has a particular genius for which he is held in great regard in Russia, New York, Paris and London, although, apparently, he is not held in high regard here. I had never heard of him either. Not only is he a great wood carver, but also his bronze sculpture of Chekhov on the promenade on the Tom River in Tomsk is something of a national opinion provoker because it is a characterisation that does not sit well with some elements of Russian society. I was with Leontiy Usov when, as members opposite are asserting, I was supposed to have been leading the charge in the raid on the offices of the Sunday Times in Perth. I had absolutely no idea that anybody would be conducting such a raid. I recall when I was a reporter on The 7.30 Report that the police raided—if that is the word members want to use—my office and seized the documents that I was working on at the time. It had something to do with some scandal involving the government. Not for one moment did it cross my mind that Richard Court was in disguise and leading the charge in there, seeking to obtain all of the secret information that I had on various members of the then government. It is a ludicrous proposition. I accept that these sorts of silly assertions are made in politics. All sorts of ridiculous, defamatory rubbish is asserted in politics, but I was surprised when some of the most senior journalists in Australia took up this case and seemed to assert that somehow or other the Western Australian government had directed the police to raid the Sunday Times . Any person in a senior role in political journalism will know that it is completely and utterly unthinkable for the Premier or a senior minister of a government to pick up the phone, call the police commissioner and tell him to get going. Those days ended with the fall of the National Party government in Queensland, although I cannot speak for every other government. To return to this matter, yes—perhaps with my Salvation Army background I am tempted towards the thinking of the temperance movement and would like to see a crackdown on binge drinking, after-hours drinking and violence on the streets of Perth. However, I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of trying to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing. This is a position that has been put to the Northbridge group accord. I cannot remember the exact name of the group; the licence holders of Northbridge. It is a position that has been put to them as one that might be worth considering and that the government would support in an effort to reduce the level of violence on the streets of Northbridge after midnight. I have a daughter who is now of an age at which she goes into Northbridge after midnight and goes to nightclubs. She loves it; she says it is amazing and exciting. If I can play a small role in making the streets of Northbridge safer for people of her generation and people of older generations, it should be part of my responsibility. It is preposterous, ridiculous, ill thought-out, ignorant and stupid to suggest that I would seek to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in this matter. Mr J.E. McGrath : Just checking up on you, Premier. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Have we reached a point in politics at which members can make any sort of ridiculous, stupid suggestions and when they get a response say, “Oh, just checking to see if you were doing that or not”? Is that where we are at? Let me respond with this question: would the member for South Perth support the model for a lock-out in Northbridge? Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
Mr J.E. McGrath : Yes, but you can’t influence the director. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No. In the third part of the question, the member asked whether I could give an undertaking that we will not unduly influence the director. Of course I can give that undertaking. What a preposterous suggestion! Mr J.E. McGrath : We’re just asking the question. Mr C.J. Barnett : You did a raid on the Sunday Times . It’s a fair call. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Who did—the Director of Liquor Licensing? Mr C.J. Barnett : No, you. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I did? There I was, baton in hand and sirens wailing, charging into the office of the Sunday Times and saying, “Hand over the documents, whatever they are, whoever you are, whatever this is about.” Does anybody honestly think that I cared about the story that the Sunday Times ran? I will tell members where I was. I think that at that time I was visiting the studio of the great Siberian wood sculptor Leontiy Usov, who, I must say, has a particular genius for which he is held in great regard in Russia, New York, Paris and London, although, apparently, he is not held in high regard here. I had never heard of him either. Not only is he a great wood carver, but also his bronze sculpture of Chekhov on the promenade on the Tom River in Tomsk is something of a national opinion provoker because it is a characterisation that does not sit well with some elements of Russian society. I was with Leontiy Usov when, as members opposite are asserting, I was supposed to have been leading the charge in the raid on the offices of the Sunday Times in Perth. I had absolutely no idea that anybody would be conducting such a raid. I recall when I was a reporter on The 7.30 Report that the police raided—if that is the word members want to use—my office and seized the documents that I was working on at the time. It had something to do with some scandal involving the government. Not for one moment did it cross my mind that Richard Court was in disguise and leading the charge in there, seeking to obtain all of the secret information that I had on various members of the then government. It is a ludicrous proposition. I accept that these sorts of silly assertions are made in politics. All sorts of ridiculous, defamatory rubbish is asserted in politics, but I was surprised when some of the most senior journalists in Australia took up this case and seemed to assert that somehow or other the Western Australian government had directed the police to raid the Sunday Times . Any person in a senior role in political journalism will know that it is completely and utterly unthinkable for the Premier or a senior minister of a government to pick up the phone, call the police commissioner and tell him to get going. Those days ended with the fall of the National Party government in Queensland, although I cannot speak for every other government. To return to this matter, yes—perhaps with my Salvation Army background I am tempted towards the thinking of the temperance movement and would like to see a crackdown on binge drinking, after-hours drinking and violence on the streets of Perth. However, I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of trying to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing. This is a position that has been put to the Northbridge group accord. I cannot remember the exact name of the group; the licence holders of Northbridge. It is a position that has been put to them as one that might be worth considering and that the government would support in an effort to reduce the level of violence on the streets of Northbridge after midnight. I have a daughter who is now of an age at which she goes into Northbridge after midnight and goes to nightclubs. She loves it; she says it is amazing and exciting. If I can play a small role in making the streets of Northbridge safer for people of her generation and people of older generations, it should be part of my responsibility. It is preposterous, ridiculous, ill thought-out, ignorant and stupid to suggest that I would seek to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in this matter. Mr J.E. McGrath : Just checking up on you, Premier. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Have we reached a point in politics at which members can make any sort of ridiculous, stupid suggestions and when they get a response say, “Oh, just checking to see if you were doing that or not”? Is that where we are at? Let me respond with this question: would the member for South Perth support the model for a lock-out in Northbridge? Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No. In the third part of the question, the member asked whether I could give an undertaking that we will not unduly influence the director. Of course I can give that undertaking. What a preposterous suggestion! Mr J.E. McGrath : We’re just asking the question. Mr C.J. Barnett : You did a raid on the Sunday Times . It’s a fair call. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Who did—the Director of Liquor Licensing? Mr C.J. Barnett : No, you. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I did? There I was, baton in hand and sirens wailing, charging into the office of the Sunday Times and saying, “Hand over the documents, whatever they are, whoever you are, whatever this is about.” Does anybody honestly think that I cared about the story that the Sunday Times ran? I will tell members where I was. I think that at that time I was visiting the studio of the great Siberian wood sculptor Leontiy Usov, who, I must say, has a particular genius for which he is held in great regard in Russia, New York, Paris and London, although, apparently, he is not held in high regard here. I had never heard of him either. Not only is he a great wood carver, but also his bronze sculpture of Chekhov on the promenade on the Tom River in Tomsk is something of a national opinion provoker because it is a characterisation that does not sit well with some elements of Russian society. I was with Leontiy Usov when, as members opposite are asserting, I was supposed to have been leading the charge in the raid on the offices of the Sunday Times in Perth. I had absolutely no idea that anybody would be conducting such a raid. I recall when I was a reporter on The 7.30 Report that the police raided—if that is the word members want to use—my office and seized the documents that I was working on at the time. It had something to do with some scandal involving the government. Not for one moment did it cross my mind that Richard Court was in disguise and leading the charge in there, seeking to obtain all of the secret information that I had on various members of the then government. It is a ludicrous proposition. I accept that these sorts of silly assertions are made in politics. All sorts of ridiculous, defamatory rubbish is asserted in politics, but I was surprised when some of the most senior journalists in Australia took up this case and seemed to assert that somehow or other the Western Australian government had directed the police to raid the Sunday Times . Any person in a senior role in political journalism will know that it is completely and utterly unthinkable for the Premier or a senior minister of a government to pick up the phone, call the police commissioner and tell him to get going. Those days ended with the fall of the National Party government in Queensland, although I cannot speak for every other government. To return to this matter, yes—perhaps with my Salvation Army background I am tempted towards the thinking of the temperance movement and would like to see a crackdown on binge drinking, after-hours drinking and violence on the streets of Perth. However, I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of trying to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing. This is a position that has been put to the Northbridge group accord. I cannot remember the exact name of the group; the licence holders of Northbridge. It is a position that has been put to them as one that might be worth considering and that the government would support in an effort to reduce the level of violence on the streets of Northbridge after midnight. I have a daughter who is now of an age at which she goes into Northbridge after midnight and goes to nightclubs. She loves it; she says it is amazing and exciting. If I can play a small role in making the streets of Northbridge safer for people of her generation and people of older generations, it should be part of my responsibility. It is preposterous, ridiculous, ill thought-out, ignorant and stupid to suggest that I would seek to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in this matter. Mr J.E. McGrath : Just checking up on you, Premier. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Have we reached a point in politics at which members can make any sort of ridiculous, stupid suggestions and when they get a response say, “Oh, just checking to see if you were doing that or not”? Is that where we are at? Let me respond with this question: would the member for South Perth support the model for a lock-out in Northbridge? Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
Mr J.E. McGrath : We’re just asking the question. Mr C.J. Barnett : You did a raid on the Sunday Times . It’s a fair call. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Who did—the Director of Liquor Licensing? Mr C.J. Barnett : No, you. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I did? There I was, baton in hand and sirens wailing, charging into the office of the Sunday Times and saying, “Hand over the documents, whatever they are, whoever you are, whatever this is about.” Does anybody honestly think that I cared about the story that the Sunday Times ran? I will tell members where I was. I think that at that time I was visiting the studio of the great Siberian wood sculptor Leontiy Usov, who, I must say, has a particular genius for which he is held in great regard in Russia, New York, Paris and London, although, apparently, he is not held in high regard here. I had never heard of him either. Not only is he a great wood carver, but also his bronze sculpture of Chekhov on the promenade on the Tom River in Tomsk is something of a national opinion provoker because it is a characterisation that does not sit well with some elements of Russian society. I was with Leontiy Usov when, as members opposite are asserting, I was supposed to have been leading the charge in the raid on the offices of the Sunday Times in Perth. I had absolutely no idea that anybody would be conducting such a raid. I recall when I was a reporter on The 7.30 Report that the police raided—if that is the word members want to use—my office and seized the documents that I was working on at the time. It had something to do with some scandal involving the government. Not for one moment did it cross my mind that Richard Court was in disguise and leading the charge in there, seeking to obtain all of the secret information that I had on various members of the then government. It is a ludicrous proposition. I accept that these sorts of silly assertions are made in politics. All sorts of ridiculous, defamatory rubbish is asserted in politics, but I was surprised when some of the most senior journalists in Australia took up this case and seemed to assert that somehow or other the Western Australian government had directed the police to raid the Sunday Times . Any person in a senior role in political journalism will know that it is completely and utterly unthinkable for the Premier or a senior minister of a government to pick up the phone, call the police commissioner and tell him to get going. Those days ended with the fall of the National Party government in Queensland, although I cannot speak for every other government. To return to this matter, yes—perhaps with my Salvation Army background I am tempted towards the thinking of the temperance movement and would like to see a crackdown on binge drinking, after-hours drinking and violence on the streets of Perth. However, I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of trying to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing. This is a position that has been put to the Northbridge group accord. I cannot remember the exact name of the group; the licence holders of Northbridge. It is a position that has been put to them as one that might be worth considering and that the government would support in an effort to reduce the level of violence on the streets of Northbridge after midnight. I have a daughter who is now of an age at which she goes into Northbridge after midnight and goes to nightclubs. She loves it; she says it is amazing and exciting. If I can play a small role in making the streets of Northbridge safer for people of her generation and people of older generations, it should be part of my responsibility. It is preposterous, ridiculous, ill thought-out, ignorant and stupid to suggest that I would seek to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in this matter. Mr J.E. McGrath : Just checking up on you, Premier. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Have we reached a point in politics at which members can make any sort of ridiculous, stupid suggestions and when they get a response say, “Oh, just checking to see if you were doing that or not”? Is that where we are at? Let me respond with this question: would the member for South Perth support the model for a lock-out in Northbridge? Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
Mr C.J. Barnett : You did a raid on the Sunday Times . It’s a fair call. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Who did—the Director of Liquor Licensing? Mr C.J. Barnett : No, you. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I did? There I was, baton in hand and sirens wailing, charging into the office of the Sunday Times and saying, “Hand over the documents, whatever they are, whoever you are, whatever this is about.” Does anybody honestly think that I cared about the story that the Sunday Times ran? I will tell members where I was. I think that at that time I was visiting the studio of the great Siberian wood sculptor Leontiy Usov, who, I must say, has a particular genius for which he is held in great regard in Russia, New York, Paris and London, although, apparently, he is not held in high regard here. I had never heard of him either. Not only is he a great wood carver, but also his bronze sculpture of Chekhov on the promenade on the Tom River in Tomsk is something of a national opinion provoker because it is a characterisation that does not sit well with some elements of Russian society. I was with Leontiy Usov when, as members opposite are asserting, I was supposed to have been leading the charge in the raid on the offices of the Sunday Times in Perth. I had absolutely no idea that anybody would be conducting such a raid. I recall when I was a reporter on The 7.30 Report that the police raided—if that is the word members want to use—my office and seized the documents that I was working on at the time. It had something to do with some scandal involving the government. Not for one moment did it cross my mind that Richard Court was in disguise and leading the charge in there, seeking to obtain all of the secret information that I had on various members of the then government. It is a ludicrous proposition. I accept that these sorts of silly assertions are made in politics. All sorts of ridiculous, defamatory rubbish is asserted in politics, but I was surprised when some of the most senior journalists in Australia took up this case and seemed to assert that somehow or other the Western Australian government had directed the police to raid the Sunday Times . Any person in a senior role in political journalism will know that it is completely and utterly unthinkable for the Premier or a senior minister of a government to pick up the phone, call the police commissioner and tell him to get going. Those days ended with the fall of the National Party government in Queensland, although I cannot speak for every other government. To return to this matter, yes—perhaps with my Salvation Army background I am tempted towards the thinking of the temperance movement and would like to see a crackdown on binge drinking, after-hours drinking and violence on the streets of Perth. However, I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of trying to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing. This is a position that has been put to the Northbridge group accord. I cannot remember the exact name of the group; the licence holders of Northbridge. It is a position that has been put to them as one that might be worth considering and that the government would support in an effort to reduce the level of violence on the streets of Northbridge after midnight. I have a daughter who is now of an age at which she goes into Northbridge after midnight and goes to nightclubs. She loves it; she says it is amazing and exciting. If I can play a small role in making the streets of Northbridge safer for people of her generation and people of older generations, it should be part of my responsibility. It is preposterous, ridiculous, ill thought-out, ignorant and stupid to suggest that I would seek to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in this matter. Mr J.E. McGrath : Just checking up on you, Premier. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Have we reached a point in politics at which members can make any sort of ridiculous, stupid suggestions and when they get a response say, “Oh, just checking to see if you were doing that or not”? Is that where we are at? Let me respond with this question: would the member for South Perth support the model for a lock-out in Northbridge? Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Who did—the Director of Liquor Licensing? Mr C.J. Barnett : No, you. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I did? There I was, baton in hand and sirens wailing, charging into the office of the Sunday Times and saying, “Hand over the documents, whatever they are, whoever you are, whatever this is about.” Does anybody honestly think that I cared about the story that the Sunday Times ran? I will tell members where I was. I think that at that time I was visiting the studio of the great Siberian wood sculptor Leontiy Usov, who, I must say, has a particular genius for which he is held in great regard in Russia, New York, Paris and London, although, apparently, he is not held in high regard here. I had never heard of him either. Not only is he a great wood carver, but also his bronze sculpture of Chekhov on the promenade on the Tom River in Tomsk is something of a national opinion provoker because it is a characterisation that does not sit well with some elements of Russian society. I was with Leontiy Usov when, as members opposite are asserting, I was supposed to have been leading the charge in the raid on the offices of the Sunday Times in Perth. I had absolutely no idea that anybody would be conducting such a raid. I recall when I was a reporter on The 7.30 Report that the police raided—if that is the word members want to use—my office and seized the documents that I was working on at the time. It had something to do with some scandal involving the government. Not for one moment did it cross my mind that Richard Court was in disguise and leading the charge in there, seeking to obtain all of the secret information that I had on various members of the then government. It is a ludicrous proposition. I accept that these sorts of silly assertions are made in politics. All sorts of ridiculous, defamatory rubbish is asserted in politics, but I was surprised when some of the most senior journalists in Australia took up this case and seemed to assert that somehow or other the Western Australian government had directed the police to raid the Sunday Times . Any person in a senior role in political journalism will know that it is completely and utterly unthinkable for the Premier or a senior minister of a government to pick up the phone, call the police commissioner and tell him to get going. Those days ended with the fall of the National Party government in Queensland, although I cannot speak for every other government. To return to this matter, yes—perhaps with my Salvation Army background I am tempted towards the thinking of the temperance movement and would like to see a crackdown on binge drinking, after-hours drinking and violence on the streets of Perth. However, I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of trying to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing. This is a position that has been put to the Northbridge group accord. I cannot remember the exact name of the group; the licence holders of Northbridge. It is a position that has been put to them as one that might be worth considering and that the government would support in an effort to reduce the level of violence on the streets of Northbridge after midnight. I have a daughter who is now of an age at which she goes into Northbridge after midnight and goes to nightclubs. She loves it; she says it is amazing and exciting. If I can play a small role in making the streets of Northbridge safer for people of her generation and people of older generations, it should be part of my responsibility. It is preposterous, ridiculous, ill thought-out, ignorant and stupid to suggest that I would seek to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in this matter. Mr J.E. McGrath : Just checking up on you, Premier. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Have we reached a point in politics at which members can make any sort of ridiculous, stupid suggestions and when they get a response say, “Oh, just checking to see if you were doing that or not”? Is that where we are at? Let me respond with this question: would the member for South Perth support the model for a lock-out in Northbridge? Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
Mr C.J. Barnett : No, you. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I did? There I was, baton in hand and sirens wailing, charging into the office of the Sunday Times and saying, “Hand over the documents, whatever they are, whoever you are, whatever this is about.” Does anybody honestly think that I cared about the story that the Sunday Times ran? I will tell members where I was. I think that at that time I was visiting the studio of the great Siberian wood sculptor Leontiy Usov, who, I must say, has a particular genius for which he is held in great regard in Russia, New York, Paris and London, although, apparently, he is not held in high regard here. I had never heard of him either. Not only is he a great wood carver, but also his bronze sculpture of Chekhov on the promenade on the Tom River in Tomsk is something of a national opinion provoker because it is a characterisation that does not sit well with some elements of Russian society. I was with Leontiy Usov when, as members opposite are asserting, I was supposed to have been leading the charge in the raid on the offices of the Sunday Times in Perth. I had absolutely no idea that anybody would be conducting such a raid. I recall when I was a reporter on The 7.30 Report that the police raided—if that is the word members want to use—my office and seized the documents that I was working on at the time. It had something to do with some scandal involving the government. Not for one moment did it cross my mind that Richard Court was in disguise and leading the charge in there, seeking to obtain all of the secret information that I had on various members of the then government. It is a ludicrous proposition. I accept that these sorts of silly assertions are made in politics. All sorts of ridiculous, defamatory rubbish is asserted in politics, but I was surprised when some of the most senior journalists in Australia took up this case and seemed to assert that somehow or other the Western Australian government had directed the police to raid the Sunday Times . Any person in a senior role in political journalism will know that it is completely and utterly unthinkable for the Premier or a senior minister of a government to pick up the phone, call the police commissioner and tell him to get going. Those days ended with the fall of the National Party government in Queensland, although I cannot speak for every other government. To return to this matter, yes—perhaps with my Salvation Army background I am tempted towards the thinking of the temperance movement and would like to see a crackdown on binge drinking, after-hours drinking and violence on the streets of Perth. However, I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of trying to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing. This is a position that has been put to the Northbridge group accord. I cannot remember the exact name of the group; the licence holders of Northbridge. It is a position that has been put to them as one that might be worth considering and that the government would support in an effort to reduce the level of violence on the streets of Northbridge after midnight. I have a daughter who is now of an age at which she goes into Northbridge after midnight and goes to nightclubs. She loves it; she says it is amazing and exciting. If I can play a small role in making the streets of Northbridge safer for people of her generation and people of older generations, it should be part of my responsibility. It is preposterous, ridiculous, ill thought-out, ignorant and stupid to suggest that I would seek to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in this matter. Mr J.E. McGrath : Just checking up on you, Premier. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Have we reached a point in politics at which members can make any sort of ridiculous, stupid suggestions and when they get a response say, “Oh, just checking to see if you were doing that or not”? Is that where we are at? Let me respond with this question: would the member for South Perth support the model for a lock-out in Northbridge? Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I did? There I was, baton in hand and sirens wailing, charging into the office of the Sunday Times and saying, “Hand over the documents, whatever they are, whoever you are, whatever this is about.” Does anybody honestly think that I cared about the story that the Sunday Times ran? I will tell members where I was. I think that at that time I was visiting the studio of the great Siberian wood sculptor Leontiy Usov, who, I must say, has a particular genius for which he is held in great regard in Russia, New York, Paris and London, although, apparently, he is not held in high regard here. I had never heard of him either. Not only is he a great wood carver, but also his bronze sculpture of Chekhov on the promenade on the Tom River in Tomsk is something of a national opinion provoker because it is a characterisation that does not sit well with some elements of Russian society. I was with Leontiy Usov when, as members opposite are asserting, I was supposed to have been leading the charge in the raid on the offices of the Sunday Times in Perth. I had absolutely no idea that anybody would be conducting such a raid. I recall when I was a reporter on The 7.30 Report that the police raided—if that is the word members want to use—my office and seized the documents that I was working on at the time. It had something to do with some scandal involving the government. Not for one moment did it cross my mind that Richard Court was in disguise and leading the charge in there, seeking to obtain all of the secret information that I had on various members of the then government. It is a ludicrous proposition. I accept that these sorts of silly assertions are made in politics. All sorts of ridiculous, defamatory rubbish is asserted in politics, but I was surprised when some of the most senior journalists in Australia took up this case and seemed to assert that somehow or other the Western Australian government had directed the police to raid the Sunday Times . Any person in a senior role in political journalism will know that it is completely and utterly unthinkable for the Premier or a senior minister of a government to pick up the phone, call the police commissioner and tell him to get going. Those days ended with the fall of the National Party government in Queensland, although I cannot speak for every other government. To return to this matter, yes—perhaps with my Salvation Army background I am tempted towards the thinking of the temperance movement and would like to see a crackdown on binge drinking, after-hours drinking and violence on the streets of Perth. However, I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of trying to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing. This is a position that has been put to the Northbridge group accord. I cannot remember the exact name of the group; the licence holders of Northbridge. It is a position that has been put to them as one that might be worth considering and that the government would support in an effort to reduce the level of violence on the streets of Northbridge after midnight. I have a daughter who is now of an age at which she goes into Northbridge after midnight and goes to nightclubs. She loves it; she says it is amazing and exciting. If I can play a small role in making the streets of Northbridge safer for people of her generation and people of older generations, it should be part of my responsibility. It is preposterous, ridiculous, ill thought-out, ignorant and stupid to suggest that I would seek to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in this matter. Mr J.E. McGrath : Just checking up on you, Premier. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Have we reached a point in politics at which members can make any sort of ridiculous, stupid suggestions and when they get a response say, “Oh, just checking to see if you were doing that or not”? Is that where we are at? Let me respond with this question: would the member for South Perth support the model for a lock-out in Northbridge? Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
I will tell members where I was. I think that at that time I was visiting the studio of the great Siberian wood sculptor Leontiy Usov, who, I must say, has a particular genius for which he is held in great regard in Russia, New York, Paris and London, although, apparently, he is not held in high regard here. I had never heard of him either. Not only is he a great wood carver, but also his bronze sculpture of Chekhov on the promenade on the Tom River in Tomsk is something of a national opinion provoker because it is a characterisation that does not sit well with some elements of Russian society. I was with Leontiy Usov when, as members opposite are asserting, I was supposed to have been leading the charge in the raid on the offices of the Sunday Times in Perth. I had absolutely no idea that anybody would be conducting such a raid. I recall when I was a reporter on The 7.30 Report that the police raided—if that is the word members want to use—my office and seized the documents that I was working on at the time. It had something to do with some scandal involving the government. Not for one moment did it cross my mind that Richard Court was in disguise and leading the charge in there, seeking to obtain all of the secret information that I had on various members of the then government. It is a ludicrous proposition. I accept that these sorts of silly assertions are made in politics. All sorts of ridiculous, defamatory rubbish is asserted in politics, but I was surprised when some of the most senior journalists in Australia took up this case and seemed to assert that somehow or other the Western Australian government had directed the police to raid the Sunday Times . Any person in a senior role in political journalism will know that it is completely and utterly unthinkable for the Premier or a senior minister of a government to pick up the phone, call the police commissioner and tell him to get going. Those days ended with the fall of the National Party government in Queensland, although I cannot speak for every other government. To return to this matter, yes—perhaps with my Salvation Army background I am tempted towards the thinking of the temperance movement and would like to see a crackdown on binge drinking, after-hours drinking and violence on the streets of Perth. However, I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of trying to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing. This is a position that has been put to the Northbridge group accord. I cannot remember the exact name of the group; the licence holders of Northbridge. It is a position that has been put to them as one that might be worth considering and that the government would support in an effort to reduce the level of violence on the streets of Northbridge after midnight. I have a daughter who is now of an age at which she goes into Northbridge after midnight and goes to nightclubs. She loves it; she says it is amazing and exciting. If I can play a small role in making the streets of Northbridge safer for people of her generation and people of older generations, it should be part of my responsibility. It is preposterous, ridiculous, ill thought-out, ignorant and stupid to suggest that I would seek to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in this matter. Mr J.E. McGrath : Just checking up on you, Premier. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Have we reached a point in politics at which members can make any sort of ridiculous, stupid suggestions and when they get a response say, “Oh, just checking to see if you were doing that or not”? Is that where we are at? Let me respond with this question: would the member for South Perth support the model for a lock-out in Northbridge? Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
To return to this matter, yes—perhaps with my Salvation Army background I am tempted towards the thinking of the temperance movement and would like to see a crackdown on binge drinking, after-hours drinking and violence on the streets of Perth. However, I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of trying to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing. This is a position that has been put to the Northbridge group accord. I cannot remember the exact name of the group; the licence holders of Northbridge. It is a position that has been put to them as one that might be worth considering and that the government would support in an effort to reduce the level of violence on the streets of Northbridge after midnight. I have a daughter who is now of an age at which she goes into Northbridge after midnight and goes to nightclubs. She loves it; she says it is amazing and exciting. If I can play a small role in making the streets of Northbridge safer for people of her generation and people of older generations, it should be part of my responsibility. It is preposterous, ridiculous, ill thought-out, ignorant and stupid to suggest that I would seek to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in this matter. Mr J.E. McGrath : Just checking up on you, Premier. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Have we reached a point in politics at which members can make any sort of ridiculous, stupid suggestions and when they get a response say, “Oh, just checking to see if you were doing that or not”? Is that where we are at? Let me respond with this question: would the member for South Perth support the model for a lock-out in Northbridge? Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
Mr J.E. McGrath : Just checking up on you, Premier. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Have we reached a point in politics at which members can make any sort of ridiculous, stupid suggestions and when they get a response say, “Oh, just checking to see if you were doing that or not”? Is that where we are at? Let me respond with this question: would the member for South Perth support the model for a lock-out in Northbridge? Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Have we reached a point in politics at which members can make any sort of ridiculous, stupid suggestions and when they get a response say, “Oh, just checking to see if you were doing that or not”? Is that where we are at? Let me respond with this question: would the member for South Perth support the model for a lock-out in Northbridge? Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
(2) If so, and that contact was made, can he explain what was specifically discussed? (3) Will he give an undertaking that neither he nor any of his staff or cabinet will attempt to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in relation to any liquor licensing matter? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(3) In answer to the first part of the question, I certainly have not spoken to the Director of Liquor Licensing about this issue, although I might. Is it the case that the government must not have an opinion on licensing? Mr J.E. McGrath : Yes, but you can’t influence the director. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No. In the third part of the question, the member asked whether I could give an undertaking that we will not unduly influence the director. Of course I can give that undertaking. What a preposterous suggestion! Mr J.E. McGrath : We’re just asking the question. Mr C.J. Barnett : You did a raid on the Sunday Times . It’s a fair call. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Who did—the Director of Liquor Licensing? Mr C.J. Barnett : No, you. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I did? There I was, baton in hand and sirens wailing, charging into the office of the Sunday Times and saying, “Hand over the documents, whatever they are, whoever you are, whatever this is about.” Does anybody honestly think that I cared about the story that the Sunday Times ran? I will tell members where I was. I think that at that time I was visiting the studio of the great Siberian wood sculptor Leontiy Usov, who, I must say, has a particular genius for which he is held in great regard in Russia, New York, Paris and London, although, apparently, he is not held in high regard here. I had never heard of him either. Not only is he a great wood carver, but also his bronze sculpture of Chekhov on the promenade on the Tom River in Tomsk is something of a national opinion provoker because it is a characterisation that does not sit well with some elements of Russian society. I was with Leontiy Usov when, as members opposite are asserting, I was supposed to have been leading the charge in the raid on the offices of the Sunday Times in Perth. I had absolutely no idea that anybody would be conducting such a raid. I recall when I was a reporter on The 7.30 Report that the police raided—if that is the word members want to use—my office and seized the documents that I was working on at the time. It had something to do with some scandal involving the government. Not for one moment did it cross my mind that Richard Court was in disguise and leading the charge in there, seeking to obtain all of the secret information that I had on various members of the then government. It is a ludicrous proposition. I accept that these sorts of silly assertions are made in politics. All sorts of ridiculous, defamatory rubbish is asserted in politics, but I was surprised when some of the most senior journalists in Australia took up this case and seemed to assert that somehow or other the Western Australian government had directed the police to raid the Sunday Times . Any person in a senior role in political journalism will know that it is completely and utterly unthinkable for the Premier or a senior minister of a government to pick up the phone, call the police commissioner and tell him to get going. Those days ended with the fall of the National Party government in Queensland, although I cannot speak for every other government. To return to this matter, yes—perhaps with my Salvation Army background I am tempted towards the thinking of the temperance movement and would like to see a crackdown on binge drinking, after-hours drinking and violence on the streets of Perth. However, I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of trying to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing. This is a position that has been put to the Northbridge group accord. I cannot remember the exact name of the group; the licence holders of Northbridge. It is a position that has been put to them as one that might be worth considering and that the government would support in an effort to reduce the level of violence on the streets of Northbridge after midnight. I have a daughter who is now of an age at which she goes into Northbridge after midnight and goes to nightclubs. She loves it; she says it is amazing and exciting. If I can play a small role in making the streets of Northbridge safer for people of her generation and people of older generations, it should be part of my responsibility. It is preposterous, ridiculous, ill thought-out, ignorant and stupid to suggest that I would seek to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in this matter. Mr J.E. McGrath : Just checking up on you, Premier. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Have we reached a point in politics at which members can make any sort of ridiculous, stupid suggestions and when they get a response say, “Oh, just checking to see if you were doing that or not”? Is that where we are at? Let me respond with this question: would the member for South Perth support the model for a lock-out in Northbridge? Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
(3) Will he give an undertaking that neither he nor any of his staff or cabinet will attempt to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in relation to any liquor licensing matter? Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(3) In answer to the first part of the question, I certainly have not spoken to the Director of Liquor Licensing about this issue, although I might. Is it the case that the government must not have an opinion on licensing? Mr J.E. McGrath : Yes, but you can’t influence the director. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No. In the third part of the question, the member asked whether I could give an undertaking that we will not unduly influence the director. Of course I can give that undertaking. What a preposterous suggestion! Mr J.E. McGrath : We’re just asking the question. Mr C.J. Barnett : You did a raid on the Sunday Times . It’s a fair call. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Who did—the Director of Liquor Licensing? Mr C.J. Barnett : No, you. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I did? There I was, baton in hand and sirens wailing, charging into the office of the Sunday Times and saying, “Hand over the documents, whatever they are, whoever you are, whatever this is about.” Does anybody honestly think that I cared about the story that the Sunday Times ran? I will tell members where I was. I think that at that time I was visiting the studio of the great Siberian wood sculptor Leontiy Usov, who, I must say, has a particular genius for which he is held in great regard in Russia, New York, Paris and London, although, apparently, he is not held in high regard here. I had never heard of him either. Not only is he a great wood carver, but also his bronze sculpture of Chekhov on the promenade on the Tom River in Tomsk is something of a national opinion provoker because it is a characterisation that does not sit well with some elements of Russian society. I was with Leontiy Usov when, as members opposite are asserting, I was supposed to have been leading the charge in the raid on the offices of the Sunday Times in Perth. I had absolutely no idea that anybody would be conducting such a raid. I recall when I was a reporter on The 7.30 Report that the police raided—if that is the word members want to use—my office and seized the documents that I was working on at the time. It had something to do with some scandal involving the government. Not for one moment did it cross my mind that Richard Court was in disguise and leading the charge in there, seeking to obtain all of the secret information that I had on various members of the then government. It is a ludicrous proposition. I accept that these sorts of silly assertions are made in politics. All sorts of ridiculous, defamatory rubbish is asserted in politics, but I was surprised when some of the most senior journalists in Australia took up this case and seemed to assert that somehow or other the Western Australian government had directed the police to raid the Sunday Times . Any person in a senior role in political journalism will know that it is completely and utterly unthinkable for the Premier or a senior minister of a government to pick up the phone, call the police commissioner and tell him to get going. Those days ended with the fall of the National Party government in Queensland, although I cannot speak for every other government. To return to this matter, yes—perhaps with my Salvation Army background I am tempted towards the thinking of the temperance movement and would like to see a crackdown on binge drinking, after-hours drinking and violence on the streets of Perth. However, I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of trying to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing. This is a position that has been put to the Northbridge group accord. I cannot remember the exact name of the group; the licence holders of Northbridge. It is a position that has been put to them as one that might be worth considering and that the government would support in an effort to reduce the level of violence on the streets of Northbridge after midnight. I have a daughter who is now of an age at which she goes into Northbridge after midnight and goes to nightclubs. She loves it; she says it is amazing and exciting. If I can play a small role in making the streets of Northbridge safer for people of her generation and people of older generations, it should be part of my responsibility. It is preposterous, ridiculous, ill thought-out, ignorant and stupid to suggest that I would seek to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in this matter. Mr J.E. McGrath : Just checking up on you, Premier. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Have we reached a point in politics at which members can make any sort of ridiculous, stupid suggestions and when they get a response say, “Oh, just checking to see if you were doing that or not”? Is that where we are at? Let me respond with this question: would the member for South Perth support the model for a lock-out in Northbridge? Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: (1)-(3) In answer to the first part of the question, I certainly have not spoken to the Director of Liquor Licensing about this issue, although I might. Is it the case that the government must not have an opinion on licensing? Mr J.E. McGrath : Yes, but you can’t influence the director. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No. In the third part of the question, the member asked whether I could give an undertaking that we will not unduly influence the director. Of course I can give that undertaking. What a preposterous suggestion! Mr J.E. McGrath : We’re just asking the question. Mr C.J. Barnett : You did a raid on the Sunday Times . It’s a fair call. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Who did—the Director of Liquor Licensing? Mr C.J. Barnett : No, you. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I did? There I was, baton in hand and sirens wailing, charging into the office of the Sunday Times and saying, “Hand over the documents, whatever they are, whoever you are, whatever this is about.” Does anybody honestly think that I cared about the story that the Sunday Times ran? I will tell members where I was. I think that at that time I was visiting the studio of the great Siberian wood sculptor Leontiy Usov, who, I must say, has a particular genius for which he is held in great regard in Russia, New York, Paris and London, although, apparently, he is not held in high regard here. I had never heard of him either. Not only is he a great wood carver, but also his bronze sculpture of Chekhov on the promenade on the Tom River in Tomsk is something of a national opinion provoker because it is a characterisation that does not sit well with some elements of Russian society. I was with Leontiy Usov when, as members opposite are asserting, I was supposed to have been leading the charge in the raid on the offices of the Sunday Times in Perth. I had absolutely no idea that anybody would be conducting such a raid. I recall when I was a reporter on The 7.30 Report that the police raided—if that is the word members want to use—my office and seized the documents that I was working on at the time. It had something to do with some scandal involving the government. Not for one moment did it cross my mind that Richard Court was in disguise and leading the charge in there, seeking to obtain all of the secret information that I had on various members of the then government. It is a ludicrous proposition. I accept that these sorts of silly assertions are made in politics. All sorts of ridiculous, defamatory rubbish is asserted in politics, but I was surprised when some of the most senior journalists in Australia took up this case and seemed to assert that somehow or other the Western Australian government had directed the police to raid the Sunday Times . Any person in a senior role in political journalism will know that it is completely and utterly unthinkable for the Premier or a senior minister of a government to pick up the phone, call the police commissioner and tell him to get going. Those days ended with the fall of the National Party government in Queensland, although I cannot speak for every other government. To return to this matter, yes—perhaps with my Salvation Army background I am tempted towards the thinking of the temperance movement and would like to see a crackdown on binge drinking, after-hours drinking and violence on the streets of Perth. However, I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of trying to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing. This is a position that has been put to the Northbridge group accord. I cannot remember the exact name of the group; the licence holders of Northbridge. It is a position that has been put to them as one that might be worth considering and that the government would support in an effort to reduce the level of violence on the streets of Northbridge after midnight. I have a daughter who is now of an age at which she goes into Northbridge after midnight and goes to nightclubs. She loves it; she says it is amazing and exciting. If I can play a small role in making the streets of Northbridge safer for people of her generation and people of older generations, it should be part of my responsibility. It is preposterous, ridiculous, ill thought-out, ignorant and stupid to suggest that I would seek to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in this matter. Mr J.E. McGrath : Just checking up on you, Premier. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Have we reached a point in politics at which members can make any sort of ridiculous, stupid suggestions and when they get a response say, “Oh, just checking to see if you were doing that or not”? Is that where we are at? Let me respond with this question: would the member for South Perth support the model for a lock-out in Northbridge? Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
(1)-(3) In answer to the first part of the question, I certainly have not spoken to the Director of Liquor Licensing about this issue, although I might. Is it the case that the government must not have an opinion on licensing? Mr J.E. McGrath : Yes, but you can’t influence the director. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No. In the third part of the question, the member asked whether I could give an undertaking that we will not unduly influence the director. Of course I can give that undertaking. What a preposterous suggestion! Mr J.E. McGrath : We’re just asking the question. Mr C.J. Barnett : You did a raid on the Sunday Times . It’s a fair call. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Who did—the Director of Liquor Licensing? Mr C.J. Barnett : No, you. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I did? There I was, baton in hand and sirens wailing, charging into the office of the Sunday Times and saying, “Hand over the documents, whatever they are, whoever you are, whatever this is about.” Does anybody honestly think that I cared about the story that the Sunday Times ran? I will tell members where I was. I think that at that time I was visiting the studio of the great Siberian wood sculptor Leontiy Usov, who, I must say, has a particular genius for which he is held in great regard in Russia, New York, Paris and London, although, apparently, he is not held in high regard here. I had never heard of him either. Not only is he a great wood carver, but also his bronze sculpture of Chekhov on the promenade on the Tom River in Tomsk is something of a national opinion provoker because it is a characterisation that does not sit well with some elements of Russian society. I was with Leontiy Usov when, as members opposite are asserting, I was supposed to have been leading the charge in the raid on the offices of the Sunday Times in Perth. I had absolutely no idea that anybody would be conducting such a raid. I recall when I was a reporter on The 7.30 Report that the police raided—if that is the word members want to use—my office and seized the documents that I was working on at the time. It had something to do with some scandal involving the government. Not for one moment did it cross my mind that Richard Court was in disguise and leading the charge in there, seeking to obtain all of the secret information that I had on various members of the then government. It is a ludicrous proposition. I accept that these sorts of silly assertions are made in politics. All sorts of ridiculous, defamatory rubbish is asserted in politics, but I was surprised when some of the most senior journalists in Australia took up this case and seemed to assert that somehow or other the Western Australian government had directed the police to raid the Sunday Times . Any person in a senior role in political journalism will know that it is completely and utterly unthinkable for the Premier or a senior minister of a government to pick up the phone, call the police commissioner and tell him to get going. Those days ended with the fall of the National Party government in Queensland, although I cannot speak for every other government. To return to this matter, yes—perhaps with my Salvation Army background I am tempted towards the thinking of the temperance movement and would like to see a crackdown on binge drinking, after-hours drinking and violence on the streets of Perth. However, I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of trying to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing. This is a position that has been put to the Northbridge group accord. I cannot remember the exact name of the group; the licence holders of Northbridge. It is a position that has been put to them as one that might be worth considering and that the government would support in an effort to reduce the level of violence on the streets of Northbridge after midnight. I have a daughter who is now of an age at which she goes into Northbridge after midnight and goes to nightclubs. She loves it; she says it is amazing and exciting. If I can play a small role in making the streets of Northbridge safer for people of her generation and people of older generations, it should be part of my responsibility. It is preposterous, ridiculous, ill thought-out, ignorant and stupid to suggest that I would seek to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in this matter. Mr J.E. McGrath : Just checking up on you, Premier. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Have we reached a point in politics at which members can make any sort of ridiculous, stupid suggestions and when they get a response say, “Oh, just checking to see if you were doing that or not”? Is that where we are at? Let me respond with this question: would the member for South Perth support the model for a lock-out in Northbridge? Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
Mr J.E. McGrath : Yes, but you can’t influence the director. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No. In the third part of the question, the member asked whether I could give an undertaking that we will not unduly influence the director. Of course I can give that undertaking. What a preposterous suggestion! Mr J.E. McGrath : We’re just asking the question. Mr C.J. Barnett : You did a raid on the Sunday Times . It’s a fair call. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Who did—the Director of Liquor Licensing? Mr C.J. Barnett : No, you. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I did? There I was, baton in hand and sirens wailing, charging into the office of the Sunday Times and saying, “Hand over the documents, whatever they are, whoever you are, whatever this is about.” Does anybody honestly think that I cared about the story that the Sunday Times ran? I will tell members where I was. I think that at that time I was visiting the studio of the great Siberian wood sculptor Leontiy Usov, who, I must say, has a particular genius for which he is held in great regard in Russia, New York, Paris and London, although, apparently, he is not held in high regard here. I had never heard of him either. Not only is he a great wood carver, but also his bronze sculpture of Chekhov on the promenade on the Tom River in Tomsk is something of a national opinion provoker because it is a characterisation that does not sit well with some elements of Russian society. I was with Leontiy Usov when, as members opposite are asserting, I was supposed to have been leading the charge in the raid on the offices of the Sunday Times in Perth. I had absolutely no idea that anybody would be conducting such a raid. I recall when I was a reporter on The 7.30 Report that the police raided—if that is the word members want to use—my office and seized the documents that I was working on at the time. It had something to do with some scandal involving the government. Not for one moment did it cross my mind that Richard Court was in disguise and leading the charge in there, seeking to obtain all of the secret information that I had on various members of the then government. It is a ludicrous proposition. I accept that these sorts of silly assertions are made in politics. All sorts of ridiculous, defamatory rubbish is asserted in politics, but I was surprised when some of the most senior journalists in Australia took up this case and seemed to assert that somehow or other the Western Australian government had directed the police to raid the Sunday Times . Any person in a senior role in political journalism will know that it is completely and utterly unthinkable for the Premier or a senior minister of a government to pick up the phone, call the police commissioner and tell him to get going. Those days ended with the fall of the National Party government in Queensland, although I cannot speak for every other government. To return to this matter, yes—perhaps with my Salvation Army background I am tempted towards the thinking of the temperance movement and would like to see a crackdown on binge drinking, after-hours drinking and violence on the streets of Perth. However, I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of trying to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing. This is a position that has been put to the Northbridge group accord. I cannot remember the exact name of the group; the licence holders of Northbridge. It is a position that has been put to them as one that might be worth considering and that the government would support in an effort to reduce the level of violence on the streets of Northbridge after midnight. I have a daughter who is now of an age at which she goes into Northbridge after midnight and goes to nightclubs. She loves it; she says it is amazing and exciting. If I can play a small role in making the streets of Northbridge safer for people of her generation and people of older generations, it should be part of my responsibility. It is preposterous, ridiculous, ill thought-out, ignorant and stupid to suggest that I would seek to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in this matter. Mr J.E. McGrath : Just checking up on you, Premier. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Have we reached a point in politics at which members can make any sort of ridiculous, stupid suggestions and when they get a response say, “Oh, just checking to see if you were doing that or not”? Is that where we are at? Let me respond with this question: would the member for South Perth support the model for a lock-out in Northbridge? Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : No. In the third part of the question, the member asked whether I could give an undertaking that we will not unduly influence the director. Of course I can give that undertaking. What a preposterous suggestion! Mr J.E. McGrath : We’re just asking the question. Mr C.J. Barnett : You did a raid on the Sunday Times . It’s a fair call. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Who did—the Director of Liquor Licensing? Mr C.J. Barnett : No, you. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I did? There I was, baton in hand and sirens wailing, charging into the office of the Sunday Times and saying, “Hand over the documents, whatever they are, whoever you are, whatever this is about.” Does anybody honestly think that I cared about the story that the Sunday Times ran? I will tell members where I was. I think that at that time I was visiting the studio of the great Siberian wood sculptor Leontiy Usov, who, I must say, has a particular genius for which he is held in great regard in Russia, New York, Paris and London, although, apparently, he is not held in high regard here. I had never heard of him either. Not only is he a great wood carver, but also his bronze sculpture of Chekhov on the promenade on the Tom River in Tomsk is something of a national opinion provoker because it is a characterisation that does not sit well with some elements of Russian society. I was with Leontiy Usov when, as members opposite are asserting, I was supposed to have been leading the charge in the raid on the offices of the Sunday Times in Perth. I had absolutely no idea that anybody would be conducting such a raid. I recall when I was a reporter on The 7.30 Report that the police raided—if that is the word members want to use—my office and seized the documents that I was working on at the time. It had something to do with some scandal involving the government. Not for one moment did it cross my mind that Richard Court was in disguise and leading the charge in there, seeking to obtain all of the secret information that I had on various members of the then government. It is a ludicrous proposition. I accept that these sorts of silly assertions are made in politics. All sorts of ridiculous, defamatory rubbish is asserted in politics, but I was surprised when some of the most senior journalists in Australia took up this case and seemed to assert that somehow or other the Western Australian government had directed the police to raid the Sunday Times . Any person in a senior role in political journalism will know that it is completely and utterly unthinkable for the Premier or a senior minister of a government to pick up the phone, call the police commissioner and tell him to get going. Those days ended with the fall of the National Party government in Queensland, although I cannot speak for every other government. To return to this matter, yes—perhaps with my Salvation Army background I am tempted towards the thinking of the temperance movement and would like to see a crackdown on binge drinking, after-hours drinking and violence on the streets of Perth. However, I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of trying to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing. This is a position that has been put to the Northbridge group accord. I cannot remember the exact name of the group; the licence holders of Northbridge. It is a position that has been put to them as one that might be worth considering and that the government would support in an effort to reduce the level of violence on the streets of Northbridge after midnight. I have a daughter who is now of an age at which she goes into Northbridge after midnight and goes to nightclubs. She loves it; she says it is amazing and exciting. If I can play a small role in making the streets of Northbridge safer for people of her generation and people of older generations, it should be part of my responsibility. It is preposterous, ridiculous, ill thought-out, ignorant and stupid to suggest that I would seek to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in this matter. Mr J.E. McGrath : Just checking up on you, Premier. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Have we reached a point in politics at which members can make any sort of ridiculous, stupid suggestions and when they get a response say, “Oh, just checking to see if you were doing that or not”? Is that where we are at? Let me respond with this question: would the member for South Perth support the model for a lock-out in Northbridge? Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
Mr J.E. McGrath : We’re just asking the question. Mr C.J. Barnett : You did a raid on the Sunday Times . It’s a fair call. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Who did—the Director of Liquor Licensing? Mr C.J. Barnett : No, you. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I did? There I was, baton in hand and sirens wailing, charging into the office of the Sunday Times and saying, “Hand over the documents, whatever they are, whoever you are, whatever this is about.” Does anybody honestly think that I cared about the story that the Sunday Times ran? I will tell members where I was. I think that at that time I was visiting the studio of the great Siberian wood sculptor Leontiy Usov, who, I must say, has a particular genius for which he is held in great regard in Russia, New York, Paris and London, although, apparently, he is not held in high regard here. I had never heard of him either. Not only is he a great wood carver, but also his bronze sculpture of Chekhov on the promenade on the Tom River in Tomsk is something of a national opinion provoker because it is a characterisation that does not sit well with some elements of Russian society. I was with Leontiy Usov when, as members opposite are asserting, I was supposed to have been leading the charge in the raid on the offices of the Sunday Times in Perth. I had absolutely no idea that anybody would be conducting such a raid. I recall when I was a reporter on The 7.30 Report that the police raided—if that is the word members want to use—my office and seized the documents that I was working on at the time. It had something to do with some scandal involving the government. Not for one moment did it cross my mind that Richard Court was in disguise and leading the charge in there, seeking to obtain all of the secret information that I had on various members of the then government. It is a ludicrous proposition. I accept that these sorts of silly assertions are made in politics. All sorts of ridiculous, defamatory rubbish is asserted in politics, but I was surprised when some of the most senior journalists in Australia took up this case and seemed to assert that somehow or other the Western Australian government had directed the police to raid the Sunday Times . Any person in a senior role in political journalism will know that it is completely and utterly unthinkable for the Premier or a senior minister of a government to pick up the phone, call the police commissioner and tell him to get going. Those days ended with the fall of the National Party government in Queensland, although I cannot speak for every other government. To return to this matter, yes—perhaps with my Salvation Army background I am tempted towards the thinking of the temperance movement and would like to see a crackdown on binge drinking, after-hours drinking and violence on the streets of Perth. However, I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of trying to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing. This is a position that has been put to the Northbridge group accord. I cannot remember the exact name of the group; the licence holders of Northbridge. It is a position that has been put to them as one that might be worth considering and that the government would support in an effort to reduce the level of violence on the streets of Northbridge after midnight. I have a daughter who is now of an age at which she goes into Northbridge after midnight and goes to nightclubs. She loves it; she says it is amazing and exciting. If I can play a small role in making the streets of Northbridge safer for people of her generation and people of older generations, it should be part of my responsibility. It is preposterous, ridiculous, ill thought-out, ignorant and stupid to suggest that I would seek to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in this matter. Mr J.E. McGrath : Just checking up on you, Premier. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Have we reached a point in politics at which members can make any sort of ridiculous, stupid suggestions and when they get a response say, “Oh, just checking to see if you were doing that or not”? Is that where we are at? Let me respond with this question: would the member for South Perth support the model for a lock-out in Northbridge? Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
Mr C.J. Barnett : You did a raid on the Sunday Times . It’s a fair call. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Who did—the Director of Liquor Licensing? Mr C.J. Barnett : No, you. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I did? There I was, baton in hand and sirens wailing, charging into the office of the Sunday Times and saying, “Hand over the documents, whatever they are, whoever you are, whatever this is about.” Does anybody honestly think that I cared about the story that the Sunday Times ran? I will tell members where I was. I think that at that time I was visiting the studio of the great Siberian wood sculptor Leontiy Usov, who, I must say, has a particular genius for which he is held in great regard in Russia, New York, Paris and London, although, apparently, he is not held in high regard here. I had never heard of him either. Not only is he a great wood carver, but also his bronze sculpture of Chekhov on the promenade on the Tom River in Tomsk is something of a national opinion provoker because it is a characterisation that does not sit well with some elements of Russian society. I was with Leontiy Usov when, as members opposite are asserting, I was supposed to have been leading the charge in the raid on the offices of the Sunday Times in Perth. I had absolutely no idea that anybody would be conducting such a raid. I recall when I was a reporter on The 7.30 Report that the police raided—if that is the word members want to use—my office and seized the documents that I was working on at the time. It had something to do with some scandal involving the government. Not for one moment did it cross my mind that Richard Court was in disguise and leading the charge in there, seeking to obtain all of the secret information that I had on various members of the then government. It is a ludicrous proposition. I accept that these sorts of silly assertions are made in politics. All sorts of ridiculous, defamatory rubbish is asserted in politics, but I was surprised when some of the most senior journalists in Australia took up this case and seemed to assert that somehow or other the Western Australian government had directed the police to raid the Sunday Times . Any person in a senior role in political journalism will know that it is completely and utterly unthinkable for the Premier or a senior minister of a government to pick up the phone, call the police commissioner and tell him to get going. Those days ended with the fall of the National Party government in Queensland, although I cannot speak for every other government. To return to this matter, yes—perhaps with my Salvation Army background I am tempted towards the thinking of the temperance movement and would like to see a crackdown on binge drinking, after-hours drinking and violence on the streets of Perth. However, I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of trying to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing. This is a position that has been put to the Northbridge group accord. I cannot remember the exact name of the group; the licence holders of Northbridge. It is a position that has been put to them as one that might be worth considering and that the government would support in an effort to reduce the level of violence on the streets of Northbridge after midnight. I have a daughter who is now of an age at which she goes into Northbridge after midnight and goes to nightclubs. She loves it; she says it is amazing and exciting. If I can play a small role in making the streets of Northbridge safer for people of her generation and people of older generations, it should be part of my responsibility. It is preposterous, ridiculous, ill thought-out, ignorant and stupid to suggest that I would seek to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in this matter. Mr J.E. McGrath : Just checking up on you, Premier. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Have we reached a point in politics at which members can make any sort of ridiculous, stupid suggestions and when they get a response say, “Oh, just checking to see if you were doing that or not”? Is that where we are at? Let me respond with this question: would the member for South Perth support the model for a lock-out in Northbridge? Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Who did—the Director of Liquor Licensing? Mr C.J. Barnett : No, you. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I did? There I was, baton in hand and sirens wailing, charging into the office of the Sunday Times and saying, “Hand over the documents, whatever they are, whoever you are, whatever this is about.” Does anybody honestly think that I cared about the story that the Sunday Times ran? I will tell members where I was. I think that at that time I was visiting the studio of the great Siberian wood sculptor Leontiy Usov, who, I must say, has a particular genius for which he is held in great regard in Russia, New York, Paris and London, although, apparently, he is not held in high regard here. I had never heard of him either. Not only is he a great wood carver, but also his bronze sculpture of Chekhov on the promenade on the Tom River in Tomsk is something of a national opinion provoker because it is a characterisation that does not sit well with some elements of Russian society. I was with Leontiy Usov when, as members opposite are asserting, I was supposed to have been leading the charge in the raid on the offices of the Sunday Times in Perth. I had absolutely no idea that anybody would be conducting such a raid. I recall when I was a reporter on The 7.30 Report that the police raided—if that is the word members want to use—my office and seized the documents that I was working on at the time. It had something to do with some scandal involving the government. Not for one moment did it cross my mind that Richard Court was in disguise and leading the charge in there, seeking to obtain all of the secret information that I had on various members of the then government. It is a ludicrous proposition. I accept that these sorts of silly assertions are made in politics. All sorts of ridiculous, defamatory rubbish is asserted in politics, but I was surprised when some of the most senior journalists in Australia took up this case and seemed to assert that somehow or other the Western Australian government had directed the police to raid the Sunday Times . Any person in a senior role in political journalism will know that it is completely and utterly unthinkable for the Premier or a senior minister of a government to pick up the phone, call the police commissioner and tell him to get going. Those days ended with the fall of the National Party government in Queensland, although I cannot speak for every other government. To return to this matter, yes—perhaps with my Salvation Army background I am tempted towards the thinking of the temperance movement and would like to see a crackdown on binge drinking, after-hours drinking and violence on the streets of Perth. However, I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of trying to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing. This is a position that has been put to the Northbridge group accord. I cannot remember the exact name of the group; the licence holders of Northbridge. It is a position that has been put to them as one that might be worth considering and that the government would support in an effort to reduce the level of violence on the streets of Northbridge after midnight. I have a daughter who is now of an age at which she goes into Northbridge after midnight and goes to nightclubs. She loves it; she says it is amazing and exciting. If I can play a small role in making the streets of Northbridge safer for people of her generation and people of older generations, it should be part of my responsibility. It is preposterous, ridiculous, ill thought-out, ignorant and stupid to suggest that I would seek to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in this matter. Mr J.E. McGrath : Just checking up on you, Premier. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Have we reached a point in politics at which members can make any sort of ridiculous, stupid suggestions and when they get a response say, “Oh, just checking to see if you were doing that or not”? Is that where we are at? Let me respond with this question: would the member for South Perth support the model for a lock-out in Northbridge? Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
Mr C.J. Barnett : No, you. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I did? There I was, baton in hand and sirens wailing, charging into the office of the Sunday Times and saying, “Hand over the documents, whatever they are, whoever you are, whatever this is about.” Does anybody honestly think that I cared about the story that the Sunday Times ran? I will tell members where I was. I think that at that time I was visiting the studio of the great Siberian wood sculptor Leontiy Usov, who, I must say, has a particular genius for which he is held in great regard in Russia, New York, Paris and London, although, apparently, he is not held in high regard here. I had never heard of him either. Not only is he a great wood carver, but also his bronze sculpture of Chekhov on the promenade on the Tom River in Tomsk is something of a national opinion provoker because it is a characterisation that does not sit well with some elements of Russian society. I was with Leontiy Usov when, as members opposite are asserting, I was supposed to have been leading the charge in the raid on the offices of the Sunday Times in Perth. I had absolutely no idea that anybody would be conducting such a raid. I recall when I was a reporter on The 7.30 Report that the police raided—if that is the word members want to use—my office and seized the documents that I was working on at the time. It had something to do with some scandal involving the government. Not for one moment did it cross my mind that Richard Court was in disguise and leading the charge in there, seeking to obtain all of the secret information that I had on various members of the then government. It is a ludicrous proposition. I accept that these sorts of silly assertions are made in politics. All sorts of ridiculous, defamatory rubbish is asserted in politics, but I was surprised when some of the most senior journalists in Australia took up this case and seemed to assert that somehow or other the Western Australian government had directed the police to raid the Sunday Times . Any person in a senior role in political journalism will know that it is completely and utterly unthinkable for the Premier or a senior minister of a government to pick up the phone, call the police commissioner and tell him to get going. Those days ended with the fall of the National Party government in Queensland, although I cannot speak for every other government. To return to this matter, yes—perhaps with my Salvation Army background I am tempted towards the thinking of the temperance movement and would like to see a crackdown on binge drinking, after-hours drinking and violence on the streets of Perth. However, I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of trying to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing. This is a position that has been put to the Northbridge group accord. I cannot remember the exact name of the group; the licence holders of Northbridge. It is a position that has been put to them as one that might be worth considering and that the government would support in an effort to reduce the level of violence on the streets of Northbridge after midnight. I have a daughter who is now of an age at which she goes into Northbridge after midnight and goes to nightclubs. She loves it; she says it is amazing and exciting. If I can play a small role in making the streets of Northbridge safer for people of her generation and people of older generations, it should be part of my responsibility. It is preposterous, ridiculous, ill thought-out, ignorant and stupid to suggest that I would seek to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in this matter. Mr J.E. McGrath : Just checking up on you, Premier. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Have we reached a point in politics at which members can make any sort of ridiculous, stupid suggestions and when they get a response say, “Oh, just checking to see if you were doing that or not”? Is that where we are at? Let me respond with this question: would the member for South Perth support the model for a lock-out in Northbridge? Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I did? There I was, baton in hand and sirens wailing, charging into the office of the Sunday Times and saying, “Hand over the documents, whatever they are, whoever you are, whatever this is about.” Does anybody honestly think that I cared about the story that the Sunday Times ran? I will tell members where I was. I think that at that time I was visiting the studio of the great Siberian wood sculptor Leontiy Usov, who, I must say, has a particular genius for which he is held in great regard in Russia, New York, Paris and London, although, apparently, he is not held in high regard here. I had never heard of him either. Not only is he a great wood carver, but also his bronze sculpture of Chekhov on the promenade on the Tom River in Tomsk is something of a national opinion provoker because it is a characterisation that does not sit well with some elements of Russian society. I was with Leontiy Usov when, as members opposite are asserting, I was supposed to have been leading the charge in the raid on the offices of the Sunday Times in Perth. I had absolutely no idea that anybody would be conducting such a raid. I recall when I was a reporter on The 7.30 Report that the police raided—if that is the word members want to use—my office and seized the documents that I was working on at the time. It had something to do with some scandal involving the government. Not for one moment did it cross my mind that Richard Court was in disguise and leading the charge in there, seeking to obtain all of the secret information that I had on various members of the then government. It is a ludicrous proposition. I accept that these sorts of silly assertions are made in politics. All sorts of ridiculous, defamatory rubbish is asserted in politics, but I was surprised when some of the most senior journalists in Australia took up this case and seemed to assert that somehow or other the Western Australian government had directed the police to raid the Sunday Times . Any person in a senior role in political journalism will know that it is completely and utterly unthinkable for the Premier or a senior minister of a government to pick up the phone, call the police commissioner and tell him to get going. Those days ended with the fall of the National Party government in Queensland, although I cannot speak for every other government. To return to this matter, yes—perhaps with my Salvation Army background I am tempted towards the thinking of the temperance movement and would like to see a crackdown on binge drinking, after-hours drinking and violence on the streets of Perth. However, I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of trying to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing. This is a position that has been put to the Northbridge group accord. I cannot remember the exact name of the group; the licence holders of Northbridge. It is a position that has been put to them as one that might be worth considering and that the government would support in an effort to reduce the level of violence on the streets of Northbridge after midnight. I have a daughter who is now of an age at which she goes into Northbridge after midnight and goes to nightclubs. She loves it; she says it is amazing and exciting. If I can play a small role in making the streets of Northbridge safer for people of her generation and people of older generations, it should be part of my responsibility. It is preposterous, ridiculous, ill thought-out, ignorant and stupid to suggest that I would seek to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in this matter. Mr J.E. McGrath : Just checking up on you, Premier. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Have we reached a point in politics at which members can make any sort of ridiculous, stupid suggestions and when they get a response say, “Oh, just checking to see if you were doing that or not”? Is that where we are at? Let me respond with this question: would the member for South Perth support the model for a lock-out in Northbridge? Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
I will tell members where I was. I think that at that time I was visiting the studio of the great Siberian wood sculptor Leontiy Usov, who, I must say, has a particular genius for which he is held in great regard in Russia, New York, Paris and London, although, apparently, he is not held in high regard here. I had never heard of him either. Not only is he a great wood carver, but also his bronze sculpture of Chekhov on the promenade on the Tom River in Tomsk is something of a national opinion provoker because it is a characterisation that does not sit well with some elements of Russian society. I was with Leontiy Usov when, as members opposite are asserting, I was supposed to have been leading the charge in the raid on the offices of the Sunday Times in Perth. I had absolutely no idea that anybody would be conducting such a raid. I recall when I was a reporter on The 7.30 Report that the police raided—if that is the word members want to use—my office and seized the documents that I was working on at the time. It had something to do with some scandal involving the government. Not for one moment did it cross my mind that Richard Court was in disguise and leading the charge in there, seeking to obtain all of the secret information that I had on various members of the then government. It is a ludicrous proposition. I accept that these sorts of silly assertions are made in politics. All sorts of ridiculous, defamatory rubbish is asserted in politics, but I was surprised when some of the most senior journalists in Australia took up this case and seemed to assert that somehow or other the Western Australian government had directed the police to raid the Sunday Times . Any person in a senior role in political journalism will know that it is completely and utterly unthinkable for the Premier or a senior minister of a government to pick up the phone, call the police commissioner and tell him to get going. Those days ended with the fall of the National Party government in Queensland, although I cannot speak for every other government. To return to this matter, yes—perhaps with my Salvation Army background I am tempted towards the thinking of the temperance movement and would like to see a crackdown on binge drinking, after-hours drinking and violence on the streets of Perth. However, I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of trying to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing. This is a position that has been put to the Northbridge group accord. I cannot remember the exact name of the group; the licence holders of Northbridge. It is a position that has been put to them as one that might be worth considering and that the government would support in an effort to reduce the level of violence on the streets of Northbridge after midnight. I have a daughter who is now of an age at which she goes into Northbridge after midnight and goes to nightclubs. She loves it; she says it is amazing and exciting. If I can play a small role in making the streets of Northbridge safer for people of her generation and people of older generations, it should be part of my responsibility. It is preposterous, ridiculous, ill thought-out, ignorant and stupid to suggest that I would seek to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in this matter. Mr J.E. McGrath : Just checking up on you, Premier. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Have we reached a point in politics at which members can make any sort of ridiculous, stupid suggestions and when they get a response say, “Oh, just checking to see if you were doing that or not”? Is that where we are at? Let me respond with this question: would the member for South Perth support the model for a lock-out in Northbridge? Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
To return to this matter, yes—perhaps with my Salvation Army background I am tempted towards the thinking of the temperance movement and would like to see a crackdown on binge drinking, after-hours drinking and violence on the streets of Perth. However, I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of trying to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing. This is a position that has been put to the Northbridge group accord. I cannot remember the exact name of the group; the licence holders of Northbridge. It is a position that has been put to them as one that might be worth considering and that the government would support in an effort to reduce the level of violence on the streets of Northbridge after midnight. I have a daughter who is now of an age at which she goes into Northbridge after midnight and goes to nightclubs. She loves it; she says it is amazing and exciting. If I can play a small role in making the streets of Northbridge safer for people of her generation and people of older generations, it should be part of my responsibility. It is preposterous, ridiculous, ill thought-out, ignorant and stupid to suggest that I would seek to unduly influence the Director of Liquor Licensing in this matter. Mr J.E. McGrath : Just checking up on you, Premier. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Have we reached a point in politics at which members can make any sort of ridiculous, stupid suggestions and when they get a response say, “Oh, just checking to see if you were doing that or not”? Is that where we are at? Let me respond with this question: would the member for South Perth support the model for a lock-out in Northbridge? Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
Mr J.E. McGrath : Just checking up on you, Premier. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Have we reached a point in politics at which members can make any sort of ridiculous, stupid suggestions and when they get a response say, “Oh, just checking to see if you were doing that or not”? Is that where we are at? Let me respond with this question: would the member for South Perth support the model for a lock-out in Northbridge? Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : Have we reached a point in politics at which members can make any sort of ridiculous, stupid suggestions and when they get a response say, “Oh, just checking to see if you were doing that or not”? Is that where we are at? Let me respond with this question: would the member for South Perth support the model for a lock-out in Northbridge? Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
Mr J.E. McGrath : I support lock-outs, but not at midnight. Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER : I thank the member.
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