Hon. RM BATES (Mudgeeraba—LNP) (Minister for Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts) (6.10 pm): I rise tonight to speak in support of the Criminal Law (False Evidence Before Parliament) Amendment Bill 2012. As members are aware, the foundation of any democracy is the public’s trust in their elected

representatives.

Without that trust the Queensland parliament cannot function effectively. Someone who knew this well was Sir Samuel Griffith. In Queensland, and indeed across Australia, he made sure elected members were held accountable, keeping them in high regard. I am sure members know that Sir Samuel was Premier of Queensland, the principal author of the federal Constitution, Chief Justice of the Queensland Supreme Court and, most relevantly for this debate, the author of the first successful codification of English criminal law.

That Criminal Code stands largely unchanged today. I say largely unchanged because in 2006 the Beattie Labor government repealed sections 56 to 58 of the Criminal Code. This disgrace was carried out in an attempt to protect the Labor government from the legacy of the disgraced former member for Sandgate, Gordon Nuttall.

On reading back over the explanatory notes, you can see that the former government had gone to great pains to explain that decision. Such was the stretch that those opposite even used such historical legal documents as the English bill of rights in an elaborate pretence that what they were doing had some merit. In truth, what they were doing was trying to justify the unjustifiable, to pretend that there were some problems with an offence which had stood unmoved for 107 years. The 27 Premiers in those 107 years led governments of all persuasions, from Conservatives to Labor, Liberal, National and a number of coalitions. Not one of them before the last government found the need to strip the requirement to tell the truth in the Queensland parliament. Why? Because the decision sent a dangerous new signal that trust no longer matter; that elected representatives could just as easily make up lies as tell the truth. It was a poor decision. And my, what a slippery slope!

I take members back to 2006 when the former member for Mudgeeraba, Dianne Reilly, claimed that she was not in attendance when the Criminal Code Amendment Bill 2006 was passed. The then member for Mudgeeraba said that therefore she did not vote for it. Hansard, however, shows a very different version of events. I table a copy of the Hansard from 26 May 2006 showing that Ms Reilly did indeed vote with the ayes.

Tabled paper: Extract from Record of Proceedings, dated 26 May 2006 [647].

In 2008 the member for Currumbin was at a function where this was mentioned. The member for Currumbin informed the House of this in a speech. I table a copy of the Hansard that contains the speech by Minister Stuckey.

Tabled paper: Extract from Record of Proceedings, dated 3 December 2008, speech by Ms Jann Stuckey MP, member for Currumbin, on the Criminal Code (Truth in Parliament) Amendment Bill [648].

That Labor member of parliament misled those she was speaking to that evening. She did not tell the truth about her support of a bill which decriminalised being untruthful on the floor of parliament. What a slippery slope indeed! The Newman government has promised accountability and transparency and that is why I urge members to support the fight to once again make it illegal to lie to the parliament. By re-enacting repealed section 57 of the Criminal Code it will again become an offence to knowingly give false evidence in this place where truth should be held in the highest regard.

The March election was an enormous rejection of the out-of-touch Bligh government. Queenslanders showed just how tired they were of a continuous lack of accountability. Those who voted us in deserve better than the former government. They should expect their members to act with integrity and be able to trust that what is said in this parliament is the absolute truth. It is time to return to those days when elected members were held in high esteem and their word believable as fact.

Tonight I encourage members to support the Criminal Law (False Evidence Before Parliament) Amendment Bill 2012 and bring a renewed sense of credibility back to the Queensland parliament. I especially encourage those members opposite, particularly the four who were members of a government that voted for this legislation in 2006, to do the right thing and support this bill.