The Price of Silence: Why Transparency Matters in our Parliament

The culture of the closed door

In my years as a GP, I never saw a patient cured by red tape. Diagnosis requires honesty, clear evidence, and a willingness to face the truth. Unfortunately, recent experience in the Legislative Council suggests that the government has adopted a different approach: evasion, deflection, and a steadfast refusal to provide the frank, transparent answers our community deserves.

We recently debated a motion regarding the poor standard of answers provided to questions without notice. It sounds like a dry parliamentary matter, but make no mistake: this is about something far more vital. It is about who owns the truth in this state. When a minister dodges a question about asbestos mitigation, hospital wait times, or state finances, they aren't just frustrating an opposition member. They are keeping the public in the dark about matters that directly impact their families, their health, and their hard-earned taxes.

Why we ask the questions

Progress relies on inquiry. We ask questions to bridge the gap between what we know and what we need to solve. Whether it is an issue of native title processes or the management of TAFE infrastructure, the government’s tendency to provide canned, opaque, or irrelevant responses creates a dangerous information vacuum. This isn't just bureaucracy; it is a waiting room where patients—or citizens—die of inaction because the truth is hidden behind a wall of cabinet-in-confidence labels.

If you want to stay updated on our fight for a more open and accountable state, I invite you to subscribe to my YouTube channel where we delve into the issues that the major parties would prefer to leave in the dark.

The weight of the evidence

While the major parties play politics, we look at the evidence. The systemic imbalance in our heritage regimes or the mismanagement of state assets is not hypothetical. It is an urgent threat to our collective future. The government fears the light, yet the Hansard record shows clearly that when this Chamber uses its power to demand transparency, the government eventually has to yield. That is the power of a proactive crossbench.

We have reached a point where the standard of answers provided in Parliament requires immediate reform. When the government treats the house with disdain, they are really treating the people of Western Australia with disdain. We are the forward-thinkers. We are the ones demanding a scientific, evidence-based approach to governance that doesn't rely on evasion. If you believe, as I do, that our state deserves better than a parade of dismissive responses, I invite you to join our movement at Legalise Cannabis WA as we work to bring accountability back to the heart of government.