Ms Chaney: My question is for the Prime Minister.
Since you came to office in 2022, parliamentary committees have prepared 78 reports and hundreds of recommendations on policy areas ranging from domestic violence to plastic pollution to gambling harm. Your government has only responded to four of these within the required six-month window. Fifty-seven reports have not received any response at all.
Why is the government consistently failing to respond to important committee recommendations? Why set up these inquiries if they are not going to go anywhere?
Call to the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister:
I thank the Member for Curtin for her question and for her engagement in the parliamentary processes. The Member for Curtin brings due diligence to her local representation, but also to participating in the broader questions that come before this parliament.
My government is characterised by orderly decision-making, by taking the views not just of the parliament but outside the parliament into account as we develop policies, one by one, also ticking off the commitments that we took to the 2022 election and then the 2025 election.
We engage in a cohesive way as well with departments, making sure that after a committee hands down a report, we give it proper consideration through our cabinet processes. We make sure as well that we have proper funding involved and go through our ERC process before any expenditure is agreed to.
Order.
Prime Minister (continuing):
That is the orderly process that we follow. The Leader of the Opposition has had a pretty good go this question time. The continual interjections are just too much. So please assist the House by not interjecting.
That is the orderly process that we use. If you go back and have a look at the previous government’s records, they suggest not bothering to respond at all to committee reports.
My government takes these issues seriously, which is why we engage, including with the crossbench, at the regular meetings we have. There are a number of regular crossbench meetings, and there may be even more into the future, and I look forward to all of them participating.