[Peetwo]

 
QON index & Senator Bullock on delayed AQON?

The QON index from Additional Estimates has been released - see HERE.

From the first read through there is the normal quota of curly QON that will be of interest to see how the usual suspects answer/obfuscate. However there was one QON up in the Corporate section that I found of interest because it was asked by, the soon to be departing,  the inestimable Senator Bullock So in somewhat of a tribute to Bullock's short but worthy contribution to the RRAT Committee, his QON addresses the regular issue/gripe of the Senators, that of the late AQON:

QON 12 - BULLOCK


Delayed answers to questions on notice



Senator BULLOCK: Can you outline the profile of what is left of that? But before I get on to that I will just have a whinge. We had 161 questions on notice. Your report date was 4 December. As at 4 February, of the 161 questions on notice we had failed to receive answers to 161 of them. That is all of them. What is the problem with getting answers to questions on notice, Mr Mrdak?



Mr Mrdak: I think on this occasion, from recollection, some 140 or so of the 161 were with the minister and his office before the due date. There were a number which were running—



Senator BULLOCK: Was that December?



Mr Mrdak: That is right.



Senator BULLOCK: So, 140-odd of the 160 questions were with the minister by the due date in December and we get them last Thursday?



Mr Mrdak: There were still a number which we took some time to complete across a number of—


Senator BULLOCK: 'A number' being the difference between 161 and 140-odd?



Mr Mrdak: That is correct.



Senator BULLOCK: That would give you a pass mark. If you were late on 20, I would not be raising it. But you are late on 161.


Mr Mrdak: The essence is that with the Christmas-New Year period and the delay at our end they were not cleared by the minister till quite recently.



Senator BULLOCK: Just to make it absolutely clear, the full blame for 140-odd of these answers lies with the minister's office.



Mr Mrdak: Some of them were returned to the department for amendments and changes to the answers. I will get that information for you. I am reminded that all 161 were provided prior to Christmas to the minister's offices. There were 49 responses returned on 12 January for changes with comments. Then some further 78 were later returned with comments. The final package was not signed off until lodgement on 4 February.

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This was the Hansard that followed on from that QON:

Senator BULLOCK: I do not know the view of the chair on this matter, but for my part I would be happy to take such answers as are available as early as possible rather than wait until they are all answered and get them two months late. The chair nodded; I think he agrees with me.


Mr Mrdak : We do make every effort. I do apologise. I think it has just been the circumstances of the timing of the year and the availability of the minister and his office to look at these and delays on our part in getting them to the minister as well. Normally we do work very hard to make sure we are there with the committee, but obviously there is a clearance process which has to be gone through.

Senator McLUCAS: You did say that 140 were with the minister's office prior to the date of return of 5 December; is that right?

Mr Mrdak : That is correct.

Senator McLUCAS: I think you are being very generous taking the blame for your department. We need these answers so that we can prepare properly for estimates. I am now not being angry with your department as much as I am curious with the minister's office. That they would sit on those answers for two months in the knowledge that that would then delay our preparation for estimates. This is a part of the Senate process that is regarded internationally as exemplary. When ministers do not provide answers in a timely way, that means that our ability to do our job properly is limited. Would it be possible for this conversation to be relayed to the minister's office so that this does not happen again?

Mr Mrdak : Certainly.

Senator EDWARDS: I agree wholeheartedly and I remember having this conversation in 2011-12.

Senator McLUCAS: If the minister's office has received this by 5 December—

Senator Colbeck: I am happy to convey the conversation, but I was thinking exactly the same as Senator Edwards; on a number of occasions we did not receive any answers at all from Minister Albanese when he was in the portfolio. If you want to express outrage, that is fine. I agree with you, Senator Sterle. It does not make it right on either side.

Senator STERLE: No excuses.

[url=http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22handbook%2Fallmps%2F00AOL%22;querytype=;rec=0][/url]Senator Colbeck: Let us be clear that it is not just one side of the coin that has issues here.

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And for those that prefer here is the exchange in pictures..

  
Senator Madigan on Senator Bullock:

Senator MADIGAN (Victoria) (20:28): It is my pleasure tonight to speak of the qualities of integrity and authenticity. It was with sadness that I listened to Senator Bullock tonight announce his resignation, because if there is something that this place lacks it is people of conviction and courage. If there is something that this place lacks it is people of conscience and consistency. Certainly Senator Bullock is part of this rare breed.


Senator Bullock is someone who speaks his mind. In an age of political doublespeak and parliamentary deception, Joe Bullock is a man apart. As a former state secretary of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association, he proved himself a tenacious fighter for the working man. In the political arena, he has proved himself uncompromising and not for sale. When I think of Senator Bullock I am reminded of the words of Kipling:

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,

And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son.

Senator Bullock, you will be sorely missed and the Australian parliament and the Australian people will be a lot worse off for your resignation.

    
Farewell Senator Joe Bullock the IOS will miss you  


MTF..P2