Cereal offenders

Mr B.K. MASTERS: [...] Half-yearly reports are sometimes difficult to understand by people who do not have expertise in accounting matters. Again, unless opposition members like me are on the mailing list of entities such as LandCorp and Western Power, they do not get annual reports sent to them automatically; they must visit a web site or make a phone call to have reports delivered to them.

Ms A.J. MacTiernan: You are supposed to do some work in opposition.

Mr B.K. MASTERS: I appreciate that.

Ms A.J. MacTiernan: You are not spoon-fed like you were in government.

Mr B.K. MASTERS: It is a different type of spoon-feeding; it is a different type of work in government.

Mr P.D. Omodei: You are on Farex and we are on Weetbix!

Mr B.K. MASTERS: I would never accuse the minister of ever being spoon-fed.

Ms A.J. MacTiernan: I tell you what, mate, I do a lot more work than you guys did when you were in office.

Mr P.D. Omodei: I think you are actually on All-Bran.

Ms A.J. MacTiernan: I don’t need that when you are in the House!

Mr B.K. MASTERS: If I had heard the comment, I would probably say it was very droll, but I missed it.

Subject: Western Australian Land Authority Amendment Bill 2003 [Legislative Assembly - Second Reading]

Date: 17 June 2003

Hansard reference: pp. 8823b - 8828a [online (pdf)]

Tags: wa, state government, perth, parliament

Stumping chance

MR B.K. MASTERS (Vasse) [4.33 pm]: [...] It is my view that the Premier is Western Australia’s equivalent of Shane Warne. Shane Warne is very clever at spin, bearing in mind his 491 test wickets - he will probably take a lot more - but what is happening when neither Shane Warne nor the Premier are on the field? When we look at what they are doing when they are not spinning, so to speak, I think we will understand that both the Premier and Shane Warne are doing things with their messages - in Shane Warne’s case by SMS messages on the phone and in the Premier’s case in a whole range of other ways - that are less than honourable. For example, the Premier in so many of his activities blames everyone but his own Government for the Government’s inability to solve problems and to deal with the important issues of the State. Instead, the Government and the Premier go off and spin into all sorts of different, irrelevant and largely illusory issues.

I do not want to talk in any detail about Shane Warne’s apparent lack of -

Dr G.I. Gallop: I was a leg spin bowler, and I can bowl a wrong’un too.

Mr B.K. MASTERS: “You’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din!” - at least on the cricket field!

I do not wish to comment on Shane Warne’s apparent long-term commitment to his wife, but I note that the Premier in this case should in theory be married to both the union movement and to WA’s working class. However, the Premier and the Australian Labor Party - this Government - are now wedded to anyone who will deliver them green votes and to anyone who is associated with the antidevelopment chardonnay-sipping socialist set. They have left their roots behind. I could make some puns about that, but I will not. Unfortunately I have to accuse the Premier of being WA’s equivalent of Shane Warne.

Mr P.B. Watson: A winner!

Mr B.K. MASTERS: The member for Albany should think about what he is saying. Like the famous cricketer, the Premier’s spin is now being shown for what it really is - a distraction from his real job, which is to govern Western Australia for the betterment of all Western Australians. Unfortunately, on this issue of Ningaloo and Mauds Landing the Premier is spinning, spinning, spinning on a -

Mr R.N. Sweetman interjected.

Mr B.K. MASTERS: Maybe a stump, but he is on a very sticky wicket. I am pleased to say that finally the media is starting to understand the rules by which he plays his game.

Subject: Ningaloo Reef Coastline [Legislative Assembly - Motion]

Date: 13 August 2003

Hansard reference: pp. 9895b - 9918a [online (pdf)]

Tags: wa, state government, perth, parliament, cricket, warnie, spin, gallop

A brush with nature

Mr B.K. Masters: In the few minutes left available to me I will make a couple of comments. In some respects it is unfortunate that this debate is not taking place next week, because this Sunday I will lead about 30 people on a 15-kilometre walk through the proposed Yelverton state forest. Wearing my hat as the President of the Busselton Naturalists Club, this year in the cooler winter and spring months we will do 10 walks of between 15 and 20 kilometres through the proposed Yelverton, Bramley and Forest Grove National Parks.

Several members interjected

Mr B.K. Masters: The members are being rude; I can tell.

Mr B.J. Grylls: We didn’t know what you were president of.

Dr J.M. Edwards: Or what you would be wearing!

Mr B.K. Masters: I know what the members are suggesting. It is far too cold to do what they are suggesting that maybe I do!

Mr B.J. Grylls: It is called getting back to nature.

Mr B.K. Masters: The word is "naturalist" not "naturist".

Mr B.J. Grylls: We will check Hansard!

Mr B.K. Masters: Yes, I think it is important that the member do that.

Contributed by Dave

Subject: Reserves (National Parks, Conservation Parks and Nature Reserves) Bill 2004 [Legislative Assembly, second reading]

Date: 19 August 2006

Hansard reference: pp. 5305b - 5318