Mr DEAN (Windermere) - Mr Deputy President, I want to speak briefly on a matter that has caused me some concern and some disappointment. I noticed that in the other place this morning there was some discussion on this and it relates to the Dilston Bypass, which was a very good piece of infrastructure recently opened, so I am told. Whilst it was in the middle of my electorate and a very important part of my electorate, I had no idea that it was being opened at all until a member of the public attacked me for not having any interest in issues that were occurring in my electorate. I must say that on receiving that information I was disappointed, to say the least. I was frustrated and I was annoyed that that should happen.

Mr Parkinson - I'm sure that was an inadvertent oversight.

Mr DEAN - As the member for Windermere, the member elected to represent the region, where the bypass is a major highway, I did have an expectation that I would be given an invite to attend the official opening. That might have been presumptuous of me, I do not know, but I was certainly entitled to that.

I took a very active role in the Dilston Bypass and in this House, and some members might remember that I moved an urgency motion here on one occasion to make sure that we had the right infrastructure. I also came to the defence of DIER and the Government in some respects in relation to the northern end of that bypass, where a second overpass was being talked about as well. I played a major role in the initial discussions in relation to this matter. I had many meetings with the public. I had many discussions with Mr McIlfatrick and DIER and the minister at that time as well.

Mr Parkinson - The opening didn't happen while we were sitting.

Mr DEAN - No, it did not happen. The opening happened last week, on 7 June 2011, so to have been involved in those earlier discussions and to have had involvement throughout the construction of that road and then to have been simply ignored when it came to the opening, to me, is just not acceptable. I did not ring the office but my EA rang the office to find out what was going on and the curt reply was that a mistake had obviously been made. There was nothing else at that stage. I thought that there might at least be an apology, and in fact there was an apology this morning. After I had been in contact with their office, of course, an apology did come through this morning to say that it had been a -

Mr Parkinson - Was that by e-mail or something?

Mr DEAN - No, it was a telephone call to my EA to say that there had been an oversight made in relation to that matter.

Mr Deputy President, there should not be an oversight of that type when it comes to the opening of major infrastructure.

Mr Parkinson - I must say it has happened to me in the past too.

Mr DEAN - But it should not happen. A member of parliament, whether they be a lower House member or an upper House member or whatever; if there is a major infrastructure opening in their area, I would have thought it ought to be an automatic invitation for those people to at least be invited and to be present.

Mr Parkinson - All local members should be invited. I think it is the practice they be invited so there has been an oversight -

Mr DEAN - I am not harping on and had this been the very first time that this had occurred then I probably would not have worried about it too much, but the fact is, it is not. It is about the third time that this sort of thing has happened and where I have simply been given a lame excuse; a mistake was made. If I was to run my office the way that some of these offices are run, I would be out of business very quickly and I think I would be lucky to get back in for a second term. I think people would take notice of things like that. It is just not acceptable and it has happened to other members; I am aware of that as well. I would like the Leader to follow up whether or not there ought to be some protocols or something put in place to ensure that at least parliamentary members - and then you have got all the other dignitaries as well - but parliamentary members, at least, should be invited to major infrastructure openings in their electorates; it is very important.

Mr Parkinson - Instructions have been given in the past and perhaps it is timely to issue them again.

Mr DEAN - Yes. When I watched it on television, you see the minister there making notice of the other local representatives being present and you are there simply sidelined. So it is a major issue and it just needs satisfying. It needs correction and it should not be happening.

The Council adjourned at 3.59 p.m.