❓ Opposition questions the Premier regarding the Transport Minister's traffic infringements and the Premier's standards for ministerial conduct, referencing a past incident involving a former minister. The Premier responds by acknowledging the infringements are unacceptable but deflects by highlighting a more serious past offence by a previous minister.
AnsweredQoN 43Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT — TRAFFIC INFRINGEMENTS
At the outset, I would like to express on behalf of the state Parliamentary Labor Party our deep concern about the events in Christchurch and say that our thoughts are with the people of Christchurch. I refer to the Premier’s transport minister having recently accumulated quite an impressive series of traffic infringements. (1) When was the Premier first made aware of the minister’s traffic infringements? (2) What is the Premier’s threshold for acceptable ministerial behaviour, in particular for the Minister for Transport: is it speeding infringements, dangerous driving, reckless driving, driving under the influence—what type of offence means that he is no longer able to hold that position? (3) Having in 2001 accused the then Premier of failing to set a standard on such issues, calling him a “lame-duck Premier”, when does this Premier plan to clearly outline his standards for appropriate ministerial conduct? Mr C.J. BARNETT
At the outset, I would like to express on behalf of the state Parliamentary Labor Party our deep concern about the events in Christchurch and say that our thoughts are with the people of Christchurch. I refer to the Premier’s transport minister having recently accumulated quite an impressive series of traffic infringements. (1) When was the Premier first made aware of the minister’s traffic infringements? (2) What is the Premier’s threshold for acceptable ministerial behaviour, in particular for the Minister for Transport: is it speeding infringements, dangerous driving, reckless driving, driving under the influence—what type of offence means that he is no longer able to hold that position? (3) Having in 2001 accused the then Premier of failing to set a standard on such issues, calling him a “lame-duck Premier”, when does this Premier plan to clearly outline his standards for appropriate ministerial conduct? Mr C.J. BARNETT
AnswerView source ↗
Before I answer the question I express on behalf of the government and indeed all people in Western Australia our sincere sympathy for the people of Christchurch and surrounding areas. As members might be aware, the latest figure is 75 confirmed deaths—a figure that is likely to rise. I have written this morning to the Right Honourable John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand, expressing sympathy on behalf of all people in Western Australia and also offering, if required, the support of the Western Australian police and emergency services. Obviously, Australian assistance to New Zealand is being orchestrated and coordinated through the Australian government, but I am very conscious of the still massive task being undertaken in northern Queensland. Should emergency services be required from this state, they will be available and will be despatched promptly. (1)–(3) In response to the question from the Leader of the Opposition, which, I guess, seems somewhat trivial to me today given the events in New Zealand, it is however an important public issue in this state. I became aware of the infringement notices, traffic offences, of the Minister for Transport last, I think, Friday—it may have been Thursday. Mr E.S. Ripper : Do you regret not having thought of this issue when you appointed him? Mr C.J. BARNETT : No; let me answer the question, please. The Leader of the Opposition asked about the standards and indeed referred to the situation of former minister for transport Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : I asked what your standard is. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is true, as the Minister for Transport made clear yesterday, that he has had nine infringements over three years. That is not acceptable and it is not a driving standard or record that he or anyone else could be proud of. In no way do I excuse exceeding the speed limit. The reality is that probably most people have done so at some stage—me included—but that is not a good driving record by any measure, and I am disappointed in that. The minister is aware of my disappointment. Mr E.S. Ripper : What takes him over the line? What level of offence takes him over the line? The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The Leader of the Opposition chose to draw attention to statements I made in the house several years ago—in 2001, I think. It was not my intent to come in here and draw attention to those matters, but now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it — Mr E.S. Ripper : You’re going to attack someone else! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
I refer to the Premier’s transport minister having recently accumulated quite an impressive series of traffic infringements. (1) When was the Premier first made aware of the minister’s traffic infringements? (2) What is the Premier’s threshold for acceptable ministerial behaviour, in particular for the Minister for Transport: is it speeding infringements, dangerous driving, reckless driving, driving under the influence—what type of offence means that he is no longer able to hold that position? (3) Having in 2001 accused the then Premier of failing to set a standard on such issues, calling him a “lame-duck Premier”, when does this Premier plan to clearly outline his standards for appropriate ministerial conduct? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: Before I answer the question I express on behalf of the government and indeed all people in Western Australia our sincere sympathy for the people of Christchurch and surrounding areas. As members might be aware, the latest figure is 75 confirmed deaths—a figure that is likely to rise. I have written this morning to the Right Honourable John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand, expressing sympathy on behalf of all people in Western Australia and also offering, if required, the support of the Western Australian police and emergency services. Obviously, Australian assistance to New Zealand is being orchestrated and coordinated through the Australian government, but I am very conscious of the still massive task being undertaken in northern Queensland. Should emergency services be required from this state, they will be available and will be despatched promptly. (1)–(3) In response to the question from the Leader of the Opposition, which, I guess, seems somewhat trivial to me today given the events in New Zealand, it is however an important public issue in this state. I became aware of the infringement notices, traffic offences, of the Minister for Transport last, I think, Friday—it may have been Thursday. Mr E.S. Ripper : Do you regret not having thought of this issue when you appointed him? Mr C.J. BARNETT : No; let me answer the question, please. The Leader of the Opposition asked about the standards and indeed referred to the situation of former minister for transport Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : I asked what your standard is. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is true, as the Minister for Transport made clear yesterday, that he has had nine infringements over three years. That is not acceptable and it is not a driving standard or record that he or anyone else could be proud of. In no way do I excuse exceeding the speed limit. The reality is that probably most people have done so at some stage—me included—but that is not a good driving record by any measure, and I am disappointed in that. The minister is aware of my disappointment. Mr E.S. Ripper : What takes him over the line? What level of offence takes him over the line? The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The Leader of the Opposition chose to draw attention to statements I made in the house several years ago—in 2001, I think. It was not my intent to come in here and draw attention to those matters, but now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it — Mr E.S. Ripper : You’re going to attack someone else! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
(1) When was the Premier first made aware of the minister’s traffic infringements? (2) What is the Premier’s threshold for acceptable ministerial behaviour, in particular for the Minister for Transport: is it speeding infringements, dangerous driving, reckless driving, driving under the influence—what type of offence means that he is no longer able to hold that position? (3) Having in 2001 accused the then Premier of failing to set a standard on such issues, calling him a “lame-duck Premier”, when does this Premier plan to clearly outline his standards for appropriate ministerial conduct? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: Before I answer the question I express on behalf of the government and indeed all people in Western Australia our sincere sympathy for the people of Christchurch and surrounding areas. As members might be aware, the latest figure is 75 confirmed deaths—a figure that is likely to rise. I have written this morning to the Right Honourable John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand, expressing sympathy on behalf of all people in Western Australia and also offering, if required, the support of the Western Australian police and emergency services. Obviously, Australian assistance to New Zealand is being orchestrated and coordinated through the Australian government, but I am very conscious of the still massive task being undertaken in northern Queensland. Should emergency services be required from this state, they will be available and will be despatched promptly. (1)–(3) In response to the question from the Leader of the Opposition, which, I guess, seems somewhat trivial to me today given the events in New Zealand, it is however an important public issue in this state. I became aware of the infringement notices, traffic offences, of the Minister for Transport last, I think, Friday—it may have been Thursday. Mr E.S. Ripper : Do you regret not having thought of this issue when you appointed him? Mr C.J. BARNETT : No; let me answer the question, please. The Leader of the Opposition asked about the standards and indeed referred to the situation of former minister for transport Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : I asked what your standard is. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is true, as the Minister for Transport made clear yesterday, that he has had nine infringements over three years. That is not acceptable and it is not a driving standard or record that he or anyone else could be proud of. In no way do I excuse exceeding the speed limit. The reality is that probably most people have done so at some stage—me included—but that is not a good driving record by any measure, and I am disappointed in that. The minister is aware of my disappointment. Mr E.S. Ripper : What takes him over the line? What level of offence takes him over the line? The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The Leader of the Opposition chose to draw attention to statements I made in the house several years ago—in 2001, I think. It was not my intent to come in here and draw attention to those matters, but now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it — Mr E.S. Ripper : You’re going to attack someone else! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
(2) What is the Premier’s threshold for acceptable ministerial behaviour, in particular for the Minister for Transport: is it speeding infringements, dangerous driving, reckless driving, driving under the influence—what type of offence means that he is no longer able to hold that position? (3) Having in 2001 accused the then Premier of failing to set a standard on such issues, calling him a “lame-duck Premier”, when does this Premier plan to clearly outline his standards for appropriate ministerial conduct? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: Before I answer the question I express on behalf of the government and indeed all people in Western Australia our sincere sympathy for the people of Christchurch and surrounding areas. As members might be aware, the latest figure is 75 confirmed deaths—a figure that is likely to rise. I have written this morning to the Right Honourable John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand, expressing sympathy on behalf of all people in Western Australia and also offering, if required, the support of the Western Australian police and emergency services. Obviously, Australian assistance to New Zealand is being orchestrated and coordinated through the Australian government, but I am very conscious of the still massive task being undertaken in northern Queensland. Should emergency services be required from this state, they will be available and will be despatched promptly. (1)–(3) In response to the question from the Leader of the Opposition, which, I guess, seems somewhat trivial to me today given the events in New Zealand, it is however an important public issue in this state. I became aware of the infringement notices, traffic offences, of the Minister for Transport last, I think, Friday—it may have been Thursday. Mr E.S. Ripper : Do you regret not having thought of this issue when you appointed him? Mr C.J. BARNETT : No; let me answer the question, please. The Leader of the Opposition asked about the standards and indeed referred to the situation of former minister for transport Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : I asked what your standard is. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is true, as the Minister for Transport made clear yesterday, that he has had nine infringements over three years. That is not acceptable and it is not a driving standard or record that he or anyone else could be proud of. In no way do I excuse exceeding the speed limit. The reality is that probably most people have done so at some stage—me included—but that is not a good driving record by any measure, and I am disappointed in that. The minister is aware of my disappointment. Mr E.S. Ripper : What takes him over the line? What level of offence takes him over the line? The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The Leader of the Opposition chose to draw attention to statements I made in the house several years ago—in 2001, I think. It was not my intent to come in here and draw attention to those matters, but now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it — Mr E.S. Ripper : You’re going to attack someone else! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
(3) Having in 2001 accused the then Premier of failing to set a standard on such issues, calling him a “lame-duck Premier”, when does this Premier plan to clearly outline his standards for appropriate ministerial conduct? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: Before I answer the question I express on behalf of the government and indeed all people in Western Australia our sincere sympathy for the people of Christchurch and surrounding areas. As members might be aware, the latest figure is 75 confirmed deaths—a figure that is likely to rise. I have written this morning to the Right Honourable John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand, expressing sympathy on behalf of all people in Western Australia and also offering, if required, the support of the Western Australian police and emergency services. Obviously, Australian assistance to New Zealand is being orchestrated and coordinated through the Australian government, but I am very conscious of the still massive task being undertaken in northern Queensland. Should emergency services be required from this state, they will be available and will be despatched promptly. (1)–(3) In response to the question from the Leader of the Opposition, which, I guess, seems somewhat trivial to me today given the events in New Zealand, it is however an important public issue in this state. I became aware of the infringement notices, traffic offences, of the Minister for Transport last, I think, Friday—it may have been Thursday. Mr E.S. Ripper : Do you regret not having thought of this issue when you appointed him? Mr C.J. BARNETT : No; let me answer the question, please. The Leader of the Opposition asked about the standards and indeed referred to the situation of former minister for transport Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : I asked what your standard is. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is true, as the Minister for Transport made clear yesterday, that he has had nine infringements over three years. That is not acceptable and it is not a driving standard or record that he or anyone else could be proud of. In no way do I excuse exceeding the speed limit. The reality is that probably most people have done so at some stage—me included—but that is not a good driving record by any measure, and I am disappointed in that. The minister is aware of my disappointment. Mr E.S. Ripper : What takes him over the line? What level of offence takes him over the line? The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The Leader of the Opposition chose to draw attention to statements I made in the house several years ago—in 2001, I think. It was not my intent to come in here and draw attention to those matters, but now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it — Mr E.S. Ripper : You’re going to attack someone else! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: Before I answer the question I express on behalf of the government and indeed all people in Western Australia our sincere sympathy for the people of Christchurch and surrounding areas. As members might be aware, the latest figure is 75 confirmed deaths—a figure that is likely to rise. I have written this morning to the Right Honourable John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand, expressing sympathy on behalf of all people in Western Australia and also offering, if required, the support of the Western Australian police and emergency services. Obviously, Australian assistance to New Zealand is being orchestrated and coordinated through the Australian government, but I am very conscious of the still massive task being undertaken in northern Queensland. Should emergency services be required from this state, they will be available and will be despatched promptly. (1)–(3) In response to the question from the Leader of the Opposition, which, I guess, seems somewhat trivial to me today given the events in New Zealand, it is however an important public issue in this state. I became aware of the infringement notices, traffic offences, of the Minister for Transport last, I think, Friday—it may have been Thursday. Mr E.S. Ripper : Do you regret not having thought of this issue when you appointed him? Mr C.J. BARNETT : No; let me answer the question, please. The Leader of the Opposition asked about the standards and indeed referred to the situation of former minister for transport Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : I asked what your standard is. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is true, as the Minister for Transport made clear yesterday, that he has had nine infringements over three years. That is not acceptable and it is not a driving standard or record that he or anyone else could be proud of. In no way do I excuse exceeding the speed limit. The reality is that probably most people have done so at some stage—me included—but that is not a good driving record by any measure, and I am disappointed in that. The minister is aware of my disappointment. Mr E.S. Ripper : What takes him over the line? What level of offence takes him over the line? The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The Leader of the Opposition chose to draw attention to statements I made in the house several years ago—in 2001, I think. It was not my intent to come in here and draw attention to those matters, but now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it — Mr E.S. Ripper : You’re going to attack someone else! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Before I answer the question I express on behalf of the government and indeed all people in Western Australia our sincere sympathy for the people of Christchurch and surrounding areas. As members might be aware, the latest figure is 75 confirmed deaths—a figure that is likely to rise. I have written this morning to the Right Honourable John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand, expressing sympathy on behalf of all people in Western Australia and also offering, if required, the support of the Western Australian police and emergency services. Obviously, Australian assistance to New Zealand is being orchestrated and coordinated through the Australian government, but I am very conscious of the still massive task being undertaken in northern Queensland. Should emergency services be required from this state, they will be available and will be despatched promptly. (1)–(3) In response to the question from the Leader of the Opposition, which, I guess, seems somewhat trivial to me today given the events in New Zealand, it is however an important public issue in this state. I became aware of the infringement notices, traffic offences, of the Minister for Transport last, I think, Friday—it may have been Thursday. Mr E.S. Ripper : Do you regret not having thought of this issue when you appointed him? Mr C.J. BARNETT : No; let me answer the question, please. The Leader of the Opposition asked about the standards and indeed referred to the situation of former minister for transport Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : I asked what your standard is. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is true, as the Minister for Transport made clear yesterday, that he has had nine infringements over three years. That is not acceptable and it is not a driving standard or record that he or anyone else could be proud of. In no way do I excuse exceeding the speed limit. The reality is that probably most people have done so at some stage—me included—but that is not a good driving record by any measure, and I am disappointed in that. The minister is aware of my disappointment. Mr E.S. Ripper : What takes him over the line? What level of offence takes him over the line? The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The Leader of the Opposition chose to draw attention to statements I made in the house several years ago—in 2001, I think. It was not my intent to come in here and draw attention to those matters, but now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it — Mr E.S. Ripper : You’re going to attack someone else! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
(1)–(3) In response to the question from the Leader of the Opposition, which, I guess, seems somewhat trivial to me today given the events in New Zealand, it is however an important public issue in this state. I became aware of the infringement notices, traffic offences, of the Minister for Transport last, I think, Friday—it may have been Thursday. Mr E.S. Ripper : Do you regret not having thought of this issue when you appointed him? Mr C.J. BARNETT : No; let me answer the question, please. The Leader of the Opposition asked about the standards and indeed referred to the situation of former minister for transport Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : I asked what your standard is. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is true, as the Minister for Transport made clear yesterday, that he has had nine infringements over three years. That is not acceptable and it is not a driving standard or record that he or anyone else could be proud of. In no way do I excuse exceeding the speed limit. The reality is that probably most people have done so at some stage—me included—but that is not a good driving record by any measure, and I am disappointed in that. The minister is aware of my disappointment. Mr E.S. Ripper : What takes him over the line? What level of offence takes him over the line? The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The Leader of the Opposition chose to draw attention to statements I made in the house several years ago—in 2001, I think. It was not my intent to come in here and draw attention to those matters, but now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it — Mr E.S. Ripper : You’re going to attack someone else! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Mr E.S. Ripper : Do you regret not having thought of this issue when you appointed him? Mr C.J. BARNETT : No; let me answer the question, please. The Leader of the Opposition asked about the standards and indeed referred to the situation of former minister for transport Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : I asked what your standard is. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is true, as the Minister for Transport made clear yesterday, that he has had nine infringements over three years. That is not acceptable and it is not a driving standard or record that he or anyone else could be proud of. In no way do I excuse exceeding the speed limit. The reality is that probably most people have done so at some stage—me included—but that is not a good driving record by any measure, and I am disappointed in that. The minister is aware of my disappointment. Mr E.S. Ripper : What takes him over the line? What level of offence takes him over the line? The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The Leader of the Opposition chose to draw attention to statements I made in the house several years ago—in 2001, I think. It was not my intent to come in here and draw attention to those matters, but now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it — Mr E.S. Ripper : You’re going to attack someone else! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : No; let me answer the question, please. The Leader of the Opposition asked about the standards and indeed referred to the situation of former minister for transport Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : I asked what your standard is. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is true, as the Minister for Transport made clear yesterday, that he has had nine infringements over three years. That is not acceptable and it is not a driving standard or record that he or anyone else could be proud of. In no way do I excuse exceeding the speed limit. The reality is that probably most people have done so at some stage—me included—but that is not a good driving record by any measure, and I am disappointed in that. The minister is aware of my disappointment. Mr E.S. Ripper : What takes him over the line? What level of offence takes him over the line? The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The Leader of the Opposition chose to draw attention to statements I made in the house several years ago—in 2001, I think. It was not my intent to come in here and draw attention to those matters, but now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it — Mr E.S. Ripper : You’re going to attack someone else! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Mr E.S. Ripper : I asked what your standard is. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is true, as the Minister for Transport made clear yesterday, that he has had nine infringements over three years. That is not acceptable and it is not a driving standard or record that he or anyone else could be proud of. In no way do I excuse exceeding the speed limit. The reality is that probably most people have done so at some stage—me included—but that is not a good driving record by any measure, and I am disappointed in that. The minister is aware of my disappointment. Mr E.S. Ripper : What takes him over the line? What level of offence takes him over the line? The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The Leader of the Opposition chose to draw attention to statements I made in the house several years ago—in 2001, I think. It was not my intent to come in here and draw attention to those matters, but now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it — Mr E.S. Ripper : You’re going to attack someone else! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is true, as the Minister for Transport made clear yesterday, that he has had nine infringements over three years. That is not acceptable and it is not a driving standard or record that he or anyone else could be proud of. In no way do I excuse exceeding the speed limit. The reality is that probably most people have done so at some stage—me included—but that is not a good driving record by any measure, and I am disappointed in that. The minister is aware of my disappointment. Mr E.S. Ripper : What takes him over the line? What level of offence takes him over the line? The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The Leader of the Opposition chose to draw attention to statements I made in the house several years ago—in 2001, I think. It was not my intent to come in here and draw attention to those matters, but now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it — Mr E.S. Ripper : You’re going to attack someone else! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Mr E.S. Ripper : What takes him over the line? What level of offence takes him over the line? The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The Leader of the Opposition chose to draw attention to statements I made in the house several years ago—in 2001, I think. It was not my intent to come in here and draw attention to those matters, but now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it — Mr E.S. Ripper : You’re going to attack someone else! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The Leader of the Opposition chose to draw attention to statements I made in the house several years ago—in 2001, I think. It was not my intent to come in here and draw attention to those matters, but now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it — Mr E.S. Ripper : You’re going to attack someone else! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : The Leader of the Opposition chose to draw attention to statements I made in the house several years ago—in 2001, I think. It was not my intent to come in here and draw attention to those matters, but now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it — Mr E.S. Ripper : You’re going to attack someone else! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Mr E.S. Ripper : You’re going to attack someone else! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
I refer to the Premier’s transport minister having recently accumulated quite an impressive series of traffic infringements. (1) When was the Premier first made aware of the minister’s traffic infringements? (2) What is the Premier’s threshold for acceptable ministerial behaviour, in particular for the Minister for Transport: is it speeding infringements, dangerous driving, reckless driving, driving under the influence—what type of offence means that he is no longer able to hold that position? (3) Having in 2001 accused the then Premier of failing to set a standard on such issues, calling him a “lame-duck Premier”, when does this Premier plan to clearly outline his standards for appropriate ministerial conduct? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: Before I answer the question I express on behalf of the government and indeed all people in Western Australia our sincere sympathy for the people of Christchurch and surrounding areas. As members might be aware, the latest figure is 75 confirmed deaths—a figure that is likely to rise. I have written this morning to the Right Honourable John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand, expressing sympathy on behalf of all people in Western Australia and also offering, if required, the support of the Western Australian police and emergency services. Obviously, Australian assistance to New Zealand is being orchestrated and coordinated through the Australian government, but I am very conscious of the still massive task being undertaken in northern Queensland. Should emergency services be required from this state, they will be available and will be despatched promptly. (1)–(3) In response to the question from the Leader of the Opposition, which, I guess, seems somewhat trivial to me today given the events in New Zealand, it is however an important public issue in this state. I became aware of the infringement notices, traffic offences, of the Minister for Transport last, I think, Friday—it may have been Thursday. Mr E.S. Ripper : Do you regret not having thought of this issue when you appointed him? Mr C.J. BARNETT : No; let me answer the question, please. The Leader of the Opposition asked about the standards and indeed referred to the situation of former minister for transport Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : I asked what your standard is. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is true, as the Minister for Transport made clear yesterday, that he has had nine infringements over three years. That is not acceptable and it is not a driving standard or record that he or anyone else could be proud of. In no way do I excuse exceeding the speed limit. The reality is that probably most people have done so at some stage—me included—but that is not a good driving record by any measure, and I am disappointed in that. The minister is aware of my disappointment. Mr E.S. Ripper : What takes him over the line? What level of offence takes him over the line? The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The Leader of the Opposition chose to draw attention to statements I made in the house several years ago—in 2001, I think. It was not my intent to come in here and draw attention to those matters, but now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it — Mr E.S. Ripper : You’re going to attack someone else! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
(1) When was the Premier first made aware of the minister’s traffic infringements? (2) What is the Premier’s threshold for acceptable ministerial behaviour, in particular for the Minister for Transport: is it speeding infringements, dangerous driving, reckless driving, driving under the influence—what type of offence means that he is no longer able to hold that position? (3) Having in 2001 accused the then Premier of failing to set a standard on such issues, calling him a “lame-duck Premier”, when does this Premier plan to clearly outline his standards for appropriate ministerial conduct? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: Before I answer the question I express on behalf of the government and indeed all people in Western Australia our sincere sympathy for the people of Christchurch and surrounding areas. As members might be aware, the latest figure is 75 confirmed deaths—a figure that is likely to rise. I have written this morning to the Right Honourable John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand, expressing sympathy on behalf of all people in Western Australia and also offering, if required, the support of the Western Australian police and emergency services. Obviously, Australian assistance to New Zealand is being orchestrated and coordinated through the Australian government, but I am very conscious of the still massive task being undertaken in northern Queensland. Should emergency services be required from this state, they will be available and will be despatched promptly. (1)–(3) In response to the question from the Leader of the Opposition, which, I guess, seems somewhat trivial to me today given the events in New Zealand, it is however an important public issue in this state. I became aware of the infringement notices, traffic offences, of the Minister for Transport last, I think, Friday—it may have been Thursday. Mr E.S. Ripper : Do you regret not having thought of this issue when you appointed him? Mr C.J. BARNETT : No; let me answer the question, please. The Leader of the Opposition asked about the standards and indeed referred to the situation of former minister for transport Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : I asked what your standard is. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is true, as the Minister for Transport made clear yesterday, that he has had nine infringements over three years. That is not acceptable and it is not a driving standard or record that he or anyone else could be proud of. In no way do I excuse exceeding the speed limit. The reality is that probably most people have done so at some stage—me included—but that is not a good driving record by any measure, and I am disappointed in that. The minister is aware of my disappointment. Mr E.S. Ripper : What takes him over the line? What level of offence takes him over the line? The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The Leader of the Opposition chose to draw attention to statements I made in the house several years ago—in 2001, I think. It was not my intent to come in here and draw attention to those matters, but now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it — Mr E.S. Ripper : You’re going to attack someone else! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
(2) What is the Premier’s threshold for acceptable ministerial behaviour, in particular for the Minister for Transport: is it speeding infringements, dangerous driving, reckless driving, driving under the influence—what type of offence means that he is no longer able to hold that position? (3) Having in 2001 accused the then Premier of failing to set a standard on such issues, calling him a “lame-duck Premier”, when does this Premier plan to clearly outline his standards for appropriate ministerial conduct? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: Before I answer the question I express on behalf of the government and indeed all people in Western Australia our sincere sympathy for the people of Christchurch and surrounding areas. As members might be aware, the latest figure is 75 confirmed deaths—a figure that is likely to rise. I have written this morning to the Right Honourable John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand, expressing sympathy on behalf of all people in Western Australia and also offering, if required, the support of the Western Australian police and emergency services. Obviously, Australian assistance to New Zealand is being orchestrated and coordinated through the Australian government, but I am very conscious of the still massive task being undertaken in northern Queensland. Should emergency services be required from this state, they will be available and will be despatched promptly. (1)–(3) In response to the question from the Leader of the Opposition, which, I guess, seems somewhat trivial to me today given the events in New Zealand, it is however an important public issue in this state. I became aware of the infringement notices, traffic offences, of the Minister for Transport last, I think, Friday—it may have been Thursday. Mr E.S. Ripper : Do you regret not having thought of this issue when you appointed him? Mr C.J. BARNETT : No; let me answer the question, please. The Leader of the Opposition asked about the standards and indeed referred to the situation of former minister for transport Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : I asked what your standard is. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is true, as the Minister for Transport made clear yesterday, that he has had nine infringements over three years. That is not acceptable and it is not a driving standard or record that he or anyone else could be proud of. In no way do I excuse exceeding the speed limit. The reality is that probably most people have done so at some stage—me included—but that is not a good driving record by any measure, and I am disappointed in that. The minister is aware of my disappointment. Mr E.S. Ripper : What takes him over the line? What level of offence takes him over the line? The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The Leader of the Opposition chose to draw attention to statements I made in the house several years ago—in 2001, I think. It was not my intent to come in here and draw attention to those matters, but now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it — Mr E.S. Ripper : You’re going to attack someone else! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
(3) Having in 2001 accused the then Premier of failing to set a standard on such issues, calling him a “lame-duck Premier”, when does this Premier plan to clearly outline his standards for appropriate ministerial conduct? Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: Before I answer the question I express on behalf of the government and indeed all people in Western Australia our sincere sympathy for the people of Christchurch and surrounding areas. As members might be aware, the latest figure is 75 confirmed deaths—a figure that is likely to rise. I have written this morning to the Right Honourable John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand, expressing sympathy on behalf of all people in Western Australia and also offering, if required, the support of the Western Australian police and emergency services. Obviously, Australian assistance to New Zealand is being orchestrated and coordinated through the Australian government, but I am very conscious of the still massive task being undertaken in northern Queensland. Should emergency services be required from this state, they will be available and will be despatched promptly. (1)–(3) In response to the question from the Leader of the Opposition, which, I guess, seems somewhat trivial to me today given the events in New Zealand, it is however an important public issue in this state. I became aware of the infringement notices, traffic offences, of the Minister for Transport last, I think, Friday—it may have been Thursday. Mr E.S. Ripper : Do you regret not having thought of this issue when you appointed him? Mr C.J. BARNETT : No; let me answer the question, please. The Leader of the Opposition asked about the standards and indeed referred to the situation of former minister for transport Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : I asked what your standard is. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is true, as the Minister for Transport made clear yesterday, that he has had nine infringements over three years. That is not acceptable and it is not a driving standard or record that he or anyone else could be proud of. In no way do I excuse exceeding the speed limit. The reality is that probably most people have done so at some stage—me included—but that is not a good driving record by any measure, and I am disappointed in that. The minister is aware of my disappointment. Mr E.S. Ripper : What takes him over the line? What level of offence takes him over the line? The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The Leader of the Opposition chose to draw attention to statements I made in the house several years ago—in 2001, I think. It was not my intent to come in here and draw attention to those matters, but now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it — Mr E.S. Ripper : You’re going to attack someone else! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Mr C.J. BARNETT replied: Before I answer the question I express on behalf of the government and indeed all people in Western Australia our sincere sympathy for the people of Christchurch and surrounding areas. As members might be aware, the latest figure is 75 confirmed deaths—a figure that is likely to rise. I have written this morning to the Right Honourable John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand, expressing sympathy on behalf of all people in Western Australia and also offering, if required, the support of the Western Australian police and emergency services. Obviously, Australian assistance to New Zealand is being orchestrated and coordinated through the Australian government, but I am very conscious of the still massive task being undertaken in northern Queensland. Should emergency services be required from this state, they will be available and will be despatched promptly. (1)–(3) In response to the question from the Leader of the Opposition, which, I guess, seems somewhat trivial to me today given the events in New Zealand, it is however an important public issue in this state. I became aware of the infringement notices, traffic offences, of the Minister for Transport last, I think, Friday—it may have been Thursday. Mr E.S. Ripper : Do you regret not having thought of this issue when you appointed him? Mr C.J. BARNETT : No; let me answer the question, please. The Leader of the Opposition asked about the standards and indeed referred to the situation of former minister for transport Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : I asked what your standard is. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is true, as the Minister for Transport made clear yesterday, that he has had nine infringements over three years. That is not acceptable and it is not a driving standard or record that he or anyone else could be proud of. In no way do I excuse exceeding the speed limit. The reality is that probably most people have done so at some stage—me included—but that is not a good driving record by any measure, and I am disappointed in that. The minister is aware of my disappointment. Mr E.S. Ripper : What takes him over the line? What level of offence takes him over the line? The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The Leader of the Opposition chose to draw attention to statements I made in the house several years ago—in 2001, I think. It was not my intent to come in here and draw attention to those matters, but now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it — Mr E.S. Ripper : You’re going to attack someone else! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Before I answer the question I express on behalf of the government and indeed all people in Western Australia our sincere sympathy for the people of Christchurch and surrounding areas. As members might be aware, the latest figure is 75 confirmed deaths—a figure that is likely to rise. I have written this morning to the Right Honourable John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand, expressing sympathy on behalf of all people in Western Australia and also offering, if required, the support of the Western Australian police and emergency services. Obviously, Australian assistance to New Zealand is being orchestrated and coordinated through the Australian government, but I am very conscious of the still massive task being undertaken in northern Queensland. Should emergency services be required from this state, they will be available and will be despatched promptly. (1)–(3) In response to the question from the Leader of the Opposition, which, I guess, seems somewhat trivial to me today given the events in New Zealand, it is however an important public issue in this state. I became aware of the infringement notices, traffic offences, of the Minister for Transport last, I think, Friday—it may have been Thursday. Mr E.S. Ripper : Do you regret not having thought of this issue when you appointed him? Mr C.J. BARNETT : No; let me answer the question, please. The Leader of the Opposition asked about the standards and indeed referred to the situation of former minister for transport Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : I asked what your standard is. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is true, as the Minister for Transport made clear yesterday, that he has had nine infringements over three years. That is not acceptable and it is not a driving standard or record that he or anyone else could be proud of. In no way do I excuse exceeding the speed limit. The reality is that probably most people have done so at some stage—me included—but that is not a good driving record by any measure, and I am disappointed in that. The minister is aware of my disappointment. Mr E.S. Ripper : What takes him over the line? What level of offence takes him over the line? The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The Leader of the Opposition chose to draw attention to statements I made in the house several years ago—in 2001, I think. It was not my intent to come in here and draw attention to those matters, but now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it — Mr E.S. Ripper : You’re going to attack someone else! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
(1)–(3) In response to the question from the Leader of the Opposition, which, I guess, seems somewhat trivial to me today given the events in New Zealand, it is however an important public issue in this state. I became aware of the infringement notices, traffic offences, of the Minister for Transport last, I think, Friday—it may have been Thursday. Mr E.S. Ripper : Do you regret not having thought of this issue when you appointed him? Mr C.J. BARNETT : No; let me answer the question, please. The Leader of the Opposition asked about the standards and indeed referred to the situation of former minister for transport Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : I asked what your standard is. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is true, as the Minister for Transport made clear yesterday, that he has had nine infringements over three years. That is not acceptable and it is not a driving standard or record that he or anyone else could be proud of. In no way do I excuse exceeding the speed limit. The reality is that probably most people have done so at some stage—me included—but that is not a good driving record by any measure, and I am disappointed in that. The minister is aware of my disappointment. Mr E.S. Ripper : What takes him over the line? What level of offence takes him over the line? The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The Leader of the Opposition chose to draw attention to statements I made in the house several years ago—in 2001, I think. It was not my intent to come in here and draw attention to those matters, but now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it — Mr E.S. Ripper : You’re going to attack someone else! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Mr E.S. Ripper : Do you regret not having thought of this issue when you appointed him? Mr C.J. BARNETT : No; let me answer the question, please. The Leader of the Opposition asked about the standards and indeed referred to the situation of former minister for transport Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : I asked what your standard is. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is true, as the Minister for Transport made clear yesterday, that he has had nine infringements over three years. That is not acceptable and it is not a driving standard or record that he or anyone else could be proud of. In no way do I excuse exceeding the speed limit. The reality is that probably most people have done so at some stage—me included—but that is not a good driving record by any measure, and I am disappointed in that. The minister is aware of my disappointment. Mr E.S. Ripper : What takes him over the line? What level of offence takes him over the line? The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The Leader of the Opposition chose to draw attention to statements I made in the house several years ago—in 2001, I think. It was not my intent to come in here and draw attention to those matters, but now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it — Mr E.S. Ripper : You’re going to attack someone else! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : No; let me answer the question, please. The Leader of the Opposition asked about the standards and indeed referred to the situation of former minister for transport Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : I asked what your standard is. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is true, as the Minister for Transport made clear yesterday, that he has had nine infringements over three years. That is not acceptable and it is not a driving standard or record that he or anyone else could be proud of. In no way do I excuse exceeding the speed limit. The reality is that probably most people have done so at some stage—me included—but that is not a good driving record by any measure, and I am disappointed in that. The minister is aware of my disappointment. Mr E.S. Ripper : What takes him over the line? What level of offence takes him over the line? The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The Leader of the Opposition chose to draw attention to statements I made in the house several years ago—in 2001, I think. It was not my intent to come in here and draw attention to those matters, but now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it — Mr E.S. Ripper : You’re going to attack someone else! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Mr E.S. Ripper : I asked what your standard is. Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is true, as the Minister for Transport made clear yesterday, that he has had nine infringements over three years. That is not acceptable and it is not a driving standard or record that he or anyone else could be proud of. In no way do I excuse exceeding the speed limit. The reality is that probably most people have done so at some stage—me included—but that is not a good driving record by any measure, and I am disappointed in that. The minister is aware of my disappointment. Mr E.S. Ripper : What takes him over the line? What level of offence takes him over the line? The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The Leader of the Opposition chose to draw attention to statements I made in the house several years ago—in 2001, I think. It was not my intent to come in here and draw attention to those matters, but now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it — Mr E.S. Ripper : You’re going to attack someone else! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : It is true, as the Minister for Transport made clear yesterday, that he has had nine infringements over three years. That is not acceptable and it is not a driving standard or record that he or anyone else could be proud of. In no way do I excuse exceeding the speed limit. The reality is that probably most people have done so at some stage—me included—but that is not a good driving record by any measure, and I am disappointed in that. The minister is aware of my disappointment. Mr E.S. Ripper : What takes him over the line? What level of offence takes him over the line? The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The Leader of the Opposition chose to draw attention to statements I made in the house several years ago—in 2001, I think. It was not my intent to come in here and draw attention to those matters, but now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it — Mr E.S. Ripper : You’re going to attack someone else! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Mr E.S. Ripper : What takes him over the line? What level of offence takes him over the line? The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The Leader of the Opposition chose to draw attention to statements I made in the house several years ago—in 2001, I think. It was not my intent to come in here and draw attention to those matters, but now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it — Mr E.S. Ripper : You’re going to attack someone else! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : The Leader of the Opposition chose to draw attention to statements I made in the house several years ago—in 2001, I think. It was not my intent to come in here and draw attention to those matters, but now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it — Mr E.S. Ripper : You’re going to attack someone else! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : The Leader of the Opposition chose to draw attention to statements I made in the house several years ago—in 2001, I think. It was not my intent to come in here and draw attention to those matters, but now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it — Mr E.S. Ripper : You’re going to attack someone else! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Mr E.S. Ripper : You’re going to attack someone else! Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Now that the Leader of the Opposition has raised it, let me make the point about the case of Hon Alannah MacTiernan. Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Mr E.S. Ripper : The point is about hypocrisy. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : On this day we should show some sobriety in this place. It is not a day for ridiculous, absurd, disrespectful stunts such as those we saw from the member for Collie–Preston. On a day when a bit of respect should have been shown in this Parliament, on a day of tragedy, that is the best that the opposition can do. Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Getting back to the issue, yes, in 2001 I called on then Premier Geoff Gallop not to sack Alannah MacTiernan, but to take her away from the transport portfolio, which at that stage happened to include road safety. I do not want to drag a former member of Parliament into public debate unnecessarily, but members who were here then might recall that Alannah MacTiernan lost her licence while transport minister for driving nearly 40 kilometres in excess of the speed limit as she approached Pinjarra in her ministerial car. That was a serious transgression. It also emerges that not only did she lose her licence for that transgression, but also it was the third time that she had lost her licence and her previous offences for which she lost it included drink-driving and careless driving. I understand that one offence occurred in a car park. That made her not worthy of holding the transport portfolio. The response of then Premier Gallop was to take the road safety portfolio away from her, and it was given to the then Minister for Police. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
The SPEAKER : Members! Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : For a minister for transport to have lost her licence while minister, for the third time, for offences including drink-driving and careless driving, ruled her out, in my view, of holding the transport portfolio, and certainly out of the road safety portfolio. I did not call for her to be dismissed from the cabinet. With respect to the driving record of the now Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, as I said, any breach of the speed limit is unacceptable. The Minister for Transport has made a number of transgressions and he has lost eight demerit points. He has not lost his licence and, indeed, he has not had a speeding or traffic infringement. He has not had — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
The SPEAKER : Member for Girrawheen, everybody in this place would like to hear the Premier’s answer, I included. Continual interjections do not help. Member for Girrawheen, I formally call you to order for the first time. Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : Although the current Minister for Transport has had a number of speeding infringements—I do not find that acceptable—he has not had a speeding infringement as Minister for Transport, and, to be blunt, he had better not have one. This applies to other ministers as well. The member for Vasse has not lost his licence. He has a poor driving record, but I am confident he will not incur any further infringements. The opposition asks where the standard is. I do not excuse bad driving by anyone, but the standard is where it was applied with respect to Alannah MacTiernan, who lost her licence three times. There is a great gulf between the two sets of circumstances. I think opposition members, in their heart of hearts, know what I am saying.
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