weekly hansard - Queensland Parliament - Queensland Government

2556 Questions Without Notice 23 Aug 2005
Health System
Mr QUINN: My question is to the Premier. I refer the Premier to the Fitzgerald inquiry into police
corruption, which had no fixed date for reporting to allow Commissioner Fitzgerald to fully investigate all
the issues and to do the job properly, and I ask: given that health is clearly the No. 1 priority in the minds
of Queenslanders, can the Premier give a non-political reason why this inquiry should be bound by fixed
reporting dates?
Mr BEATTIE: As I understand it—and I will go back and check this—on a number occasions
there were changes. They related particularly to the terms of reference of the Fitzgerald royal
commission.
There is no big deal about this. In relation to both the racing inquiry and the Bundaberg Hospital
inquiry there were requests by the commissioners for extensions. Both of those have been granted.
Today we have agreed to a two-week extension. I say to the Leader of the Liberal Party that the
commissioner himself is happy with the arrangements. Why is it that the member for Robina or the
Leader of the Opposition seem to know more than the commissioner does? The reality is that the
commissioner has agreed with the time lines.
For the life of me, I cannot understand why the member for Robina is wanting to pursue this, other
than for some cheap political agenda. If Tony Morris is saying that 15 October gives suitable time to
meet the natural justice requirements and to hear witnesses, what sort of wisdom does the member
have that is stronger than that of Tony Morris? The member has to ask himself that. For the life of me, I
cannot see a sensible, logical point to the member’s argument other than the fact that there is some
political agenda.
Let me just repeat: today the government has agreed to extend the Morris royal commission by
15 days. That was mutually agreed between us.
Mr Messenger interjected.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! Member for Burnett, I warn you. You sit there and you interject all of the
time. I warn you under 253.
Mr BEATTIE: I say to the Leader of the Liberal Party: I know that when you were in government—
An opposition member interjected.
Mr BEATTIE: Let us talk about the Connolly-Ryan inquiry. Let us talk about the Leader of the
Liberal Party’s form on this. When he was in government he set up a process to destroy and shut down
the CJC through the Connolly-Ryan inquiry. There has been none of that from us. That inquiry was in
exactly the same position: the member opposite wanted to shut it down. It is the height of hypocrisy for
the member for Robina to come in here and attack us, bearing in mind that we have set this inquiry up
and that we have agreed to a two-week extension, as requested by the commissioner which we agreed
after discussion. But the member really has a bit of a hide when we consider what happened to the CJC
inquiry and the Supreme Court action in relation to Connolly-Ryan. The member knows that as well as I
do.
These two questions have been based on politics, not on what is in the interests of patients. I
need to be very clear to this House: there needs to be a day when the inquiries are finished and we get
on with the business of improving and repairing the health system. That is exactly what we will do. That
is why on the 30th we will deal with the systemic issues—we will have both Peter Forster’s and Tony
Morris’s recommendations in relation to systemic issues—and then Tony Morris will have an extension
of two weeks to deal with witnesses pertaining to Bundaberg.
I conclude my remarks by congratulating the member for Robina on the success in Chatsworth
and Redcliffe on the weekend. I did not enjoy it, but I can say to you: well done.
Infrastructure Development, South-East Queensland
Mr REEVES: My question without notice is to the Premier. South-east Queenslanders are aware
of the state government’s infrastructure plans to deal with the influx of a million people over the next 20
years to south-east Queensland, but can he inform them what the Liberals, particularly those based in
Brisbane and south-east Queensland, are contributing?
Mr BEATTIE: I was intrigued to read today’s Courier-Mail, as I always am, which carried the
headline ‘Libs try to hush Newman on roads’. What a serious indictment of liberalism in this state. The
Liberal Party has the strongest representation perhaps in the history of federal parliament. I am not sure
about that, but it is very strong. It has 22 out of 28 seats. In Brisbane it has the lord mayor. When the lord
mayor tries to get some money to deal with public transport and roads, what do they do? They try to
hush him up and shut him down. Then they try to bully him into remaining silent. I just say to Campbell