Tuesday 28 Septemebr 2010
Hansard of the Legislative Council

EDUCATION BILLS 2010

Mr FINCH (Rosevears) - I am curious, Madam President, if Terry McCarthy has lost my phone number.

Ms Thorp - Through you, Madam President - I understood that you had responded by e-mail.

Mr FINCH - It is an interesting process we are going through, a submission by the minister, and I hear what the member for Launceston is saying; we were involved in a meeting yesterday with somebody who was keen to put some thoughts to us and that person also had only just got the bills, and was trying to work his way through the bill to give us some guidance as to the implications the bill will have back in the workplace. I want to get a real sense of that before I join in the substantive debate; the second reading debate. So we thought that we really did need more time. I want to be more cautious and I certainly want to be seen to be more cautious, too, because in the aftermath of what occurred last time I have a sense that maybe I was not as forensic as perhaps I could have been about some of the situations.

Mr Hall - It sounds like the Launceston cabal happened again.

Mr FINCH - I do not know what you are suggesting there, but I do want to be more cautious. I think the compromise that is proposed by the honourable member for Murchison sits comfortably with me.

[11.43 a.m.]
Ms THORP (Rumney - Minister for Education and Skills) - Madam President, I thank honourable members for their consideration and their thoughts on this matter. I agree with you that this is a very serious matter, and I do want all of us to be comfortable and confident that we know exactly what it is that we are dealing with. So I will move the motion as I have previously said, but give the undertaking to the House that my second reading speech would be as far as we would go and then I would adjourn the debate. I would organise briefings, as far as possible - I am not sure before or after at this stage, depending on availability of people - probably before the second reading speech, or even after. We can consider that as we go.

I commend the motion with the collective understanding of honourable members that when the debate comes on we will only go as far as my second reading speech and then I would move that the debate stand adjourned.

Standing orders suspended.