ALBANESE’S ARROGANCE ANGERS ALL

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Public servants were today placed in an invidious position by the arrogance of Minister Albanese in dealing with questions taken on notice at the last October.

Under cross examination by Senator Ian Macdonald as to the delay in providing responses to questions taken on notice in the October 2009 Senate Estimates Committee hearings process, public servants reluctantly conceded that the answers prepared to Questions on Notice were prepared well before the Senate appointed deadline of 11 December 2009.

Departmental officials had forwarded answers to the Minister’s office in early December but had not received them back until 2 February 2010, just six days before the next Senate Estimates hearings.

“This was in direct defiance of an order of the Senate requiring answers to be delivered by the 11th of December 2009,” Senator Macdonald said.

“The Department and its officers had done the right thing but for blatantly political reasons, Minister Albanese had arrogantly refused to comply with Senate Estimates rules by delivering the answers in sufficient time to enable them to be digested by enquiring Senators.

“This direct defiance of an order of the Senate could cause retaliatory action by the Senate,” Senator Macdonald warned.

“Mr Albanese obviously believes that he is a law unto himself and has no obligation to comply with the duly agreed provisions put in place by elected representatives of the people.

“I will be asking the Senate to refuse to deal with any legislation or material from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government in the future until such time as answers taken on notice are supplied within the time allowed by the Senate.

“Mr Albanese must learn that his arrogance and outright defiance of Parliamentary rules will no longer be tolerated by the Senate,” said Senator Macdonald.

END

9 February 2010

Media contact Gordon Terry      (07) 4771 3066   or   0427 960 255                                           

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