Friday, February 5, 2010

The Big Top comes to Parliament House


My previous Post reported on the last get together of the Budget and Finance Committee for 2009.

I doubt I need to provide any primer for the crap you are about to read.

Who says politics do not play out in bi-partisan Committees? In this instance, we should be grateful the Liberal Party's Rob Lucas was the Chairperson.

The ruling Labor Party’s, the Hon B.V. Finnigan  (Picture added as requested by Readers) in full dummy spit mode:

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE
Plaza Room, Parliament House, Adelaide
 Friday 13 November 2009 at 2:20pm
BY AUTHORITY OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL


7373 The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN: It's well past 4 o'clock, Mr Chairman. What I'm indicating is that you need to suspend the meeting.

7374 The CHAIRPERSON: No, I don't, so long as there is a quorum at the start of the meeting. It's the same as the parliament. It's the same standing orders as in the parliament.

7375 The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN: I think you will find that the committee has, at no time, resolved to go past 4 o'clock.

7376 The Hon. C.V. SCHAEFER: It's not the standing orders actually; it's the Parliamentary Committees Act—that's where you need to look.

7377 The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN: No, this isn't under the Parliamentary Committees Act; this is a committee by resolution of the council. Standing order 390 states: If at any other time a quorum is not present the chairman shall suspend the proceedings until a quorum is made up or adjourn the committee to some future time

7378 The CHAIRPERSON: That's if someone is here to draw attention to the quorum. There is a quorum present. If you're not here you can't draw attention to the quorum. It's a bit like parliament. If you don't have 11 people in there we don't adjourn the proceedings of the house.

7379 The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN: I would have been quite within my rights to leave at 10 minutes past 2 because the committee had not begun on time. The committee never resolved to begin at 2.15 or 2.20. Under the standing orders I could have left at 10 past 2. There would have been no meeting at all because you wouldn't have been quorate. Now, you're trying to indefinitely delay proceedings.

7380 The CHAIRPERSON: No. The notice that went to all members was from 2.15 to 4.15.

7381 The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN: When did the committee resolve that?

7382 The CHAIRPERSON: When we found that we were short of a member.

7383 The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN: The committee met today and resolved that, did it?

7384 The CHAIRPERSON: No. As chairman, I advised members.

7385 The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN: You unilaterally decided to change the meeting?

7386 The CHAIRPERSON: I did, indeed.

7387 The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN: Well, you can't do that.

7388 The CHAIRPERSON: You will need to move a motion against me, if you want to. I suspect you don't have the numbers to succeed but—

7389 The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN: So now you're saying the committee can just sit whenever it likes, according to you.

7390 The CHAIRPERSON: No. The committee is going to meet until 4.15 and then we're going to adjourn.

7391 The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN: No, the committee resolved to meet from 2.00 until 4.00. The fact that people were not here until 2.20 is not my fault.

7392 The CHAIRPERSON: It didn't resolve at all; the committee resolved to meet on a certain date.

7393 The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN: Look at the agenda—future meetings.

7394 The CHAIRPERSON: Mr Finnigan, if you want to move a motion, move a motion, but I intend to proceed until 4.15.

7395 The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN: I am saying that you can't.

7396 The CHAIRPERSON: I am ruling you out of order.

7397 The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN: On what basis?

7398 The CHAIRPERSON: I am the chairman of the meeting. If you disagree with the ruling, you can leave the meeting.

7399 The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN: Well, if I leave the meeting, there is no quorum.

7400 The CHAIRPERSON: If you leave the meeting, we will continue.

7401 The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN: Well then you're ultra vires.

7402 The CHAIRPERSON: I won't be ultra vires.

7403 The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN: I would advise the witnesses to depart because this would not be a validly constituted meeting, directly in breach of the standing orders.

7404 The CHAIRPERSON: It will not be in breach of the standing orders at all, Mr Finnigan.

7405 The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN: Well, Mr Chairman, you can't just change the times of a meeting to suit yourself.

7406 The CHAIRPERSON: Mr Finnigan, I am not in breach of the standing orders. You were right to indicate that, if you didn't turn up, there wouldn't have been a quorum—you are correct to say that—but you did turn up.

7407 The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN: Well, at 10 past 2.

7408 The CHAIRPERSON: I am not going to waste any more time. We have four more minutes before the scheduled—

7409 The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN: No, we are 10 minutes past the scheduled finishing time, Mr Chairman............

THE WITNESSES WITHDREW

4 comments:

Robbo's mate Johnno from the Village Tavern said...

This is funny as. Robbo me old cheese. When you tell us stories at the pub I find many of them hard to believe. But, here is the proof that South Austrlia is indeed run by clowns. How the hell do these people get elected. Now I know why you're running in March. Judging by this lot you'll have no trouble getting elected. Just put your funny hat on.
(JOHNNO. SPOT ON MATE! I STILL LAUGH WHEN I READ THIS CRAP. SEE YOU LATER FOR A PINT. AND I CHANGED MY MIND. BUGGER THE LOWER HOUSE, I'M TAKING A SHOT AT THE UPPER HOUSE. MIGHT HAVE A BETTER CHANCE. ROBBO)

Anonymous said...

I am ashamed to see the level of buffoonery from these idiots. How are these people elected? Do some people just elect people like that because they vote by some sort of programmed response from years ago. This government relies on people who choose not to examine the truth and choose to turn away when the reality of the mindless stupidity (Precious Finnigan) is exposed. But let us pray for enough people who are sick of a government that would rather be sipping a latte in Tuscany, be photographed beside a celebrity, or lunching with the developers, and prefer that to governing this state justly and fairly for the benefit of all South Australians, not just their billionaire interstate developers who Wombat (eats,,,, and leaves)this state.

Anonymous said...

Bloody hell Rob. This is as funny as! Clowns. You're spot on. And we're paying them.

Sue V. said...

Sounds like what goes on in the Fed Govt........shameful.

miss you, Rob.