< Back

Opposition Flip-Flops on Open Government Bill
December 9th 2004

NSW Democrat MLC, Dr Arthur Chesterfield-Evans, has attacked the Opposition’s flip-flop after they voted with the Government to oppose the Democrat’s Government (Open Market Competition) bill in the Lower House today.

“The Coalition supported my bill in the Upper House 18 months ago, but voted against the same bill in the Lower House!” he said.
“How can the Coalition tout themselves as an effective Opposition if they can’t even take a consistent stance on the same piece of legislation” he said.

Dr Chesterfield-Evans has cited the recent leak of the Governments $5 billion plan to re-develop Redfern/Waterloo to the Sydney Morning Herald as an example why the Opposition should have supported the Democrats legislation.

“The first we learned details of the Governments’ plan is when it was leaked to the media! Here was an opportunity for the Opposition to strike a blow for transparency against a State government so obsessed with hiding the truth from the people of NSW and that is why I am angry the Opposition sided with the Government,” he said.

Dr Chesterfield-Evans has also criticised the Labor Party dominated Public Accounts Committee inquiry on the bill, recommending maintaining the secretive status quo when it comes to the disclosure of government contracts to the public.

“Thanks to the laziness of the Opposition, the Carr government will continue to get away with secret deals with the big end of town,”
Dr Chesterfield-Evans concluded.