The Hon. LUKE FOLEY: My question is directed to the Minister for Finance and Services. Noting his response in this place yesterday to a question regarding the issues paper his Government released on reforms to workers compensation—"To the best of my knowledge, WorkCover and the Office of Industrial Relations authored it."—and noting that at the public hearings of the Joint Select Committee on the NSW Workers Compensation Scheme Ms Aplin, the general manager of WorkCover, stated, when asked who was the author of the document, "It is not a WorkCover document.", and given that he publicly released the document, could he now advise the House exactly who did author the document?

The Hon. GREG PEARCE: They could not help themselves. They have to twist the truth, they have to make things up, they tell lies and they substitute words, thinking they are being clever.

The Hon. Adam Searle: Point of order: The Minister is debating the question. I ask you to call him to order.

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Deputy Leader of the Opposition has taken a point of order in relation to the Minister debating the question. I apologise to the Deputy Leader of the Opposition: I was talking to a member and did not hear the Minister. Nevertheless, I encourage the Minister not to debate the question in his answer.

The Hon. GREG PEARCE: Let us examine the question asked yesterday by the Hon. Helen Westwood. It is appropriate to think that the Deputy Leader of the Opposition must have approved it. Let us consider the question that was asked yesterday. It was put forward as though it is some sort of a fact. In fact, it was a lie. The only fact about it is that it was a lie. It states:

Given that WorkCover has confirmed it did not author—

there it is: a clever little twist to the language—

the workers compensation issues paper released by the Government ...

That bit is right: the paper was released by the Government. Now let us go to the inquiry and look for proof of the Hon. Helen Westwood's assertion that WorkCover confirmed it did not author the report. Let us go through the transcript. I will quote from Hansard:

The Hon. ADAM SEARLE: Getting back to the question that Mr Daley asked earlier: it is the case, is it not, that neither of the actuaries here today or WorkCover have been asked to cost the ideas in the Government issues paper?

That is okay so far. Ms Aplin responds:

Ms APLIN: WorkCover is always costing initiatives for the Government.

The Hon. Trevor Khan: She was good.

The Hon. Adam Searle: Yes, she was.

The Hon. GREG PEARCE: She is very good. She is a very good public servant, and one whose contract I had the privilege to extend. As I was saying, Ms Aplin went on.

The Hon. Greg Donnelly: You've got your favourites, Greg.

The Hon. GREG PEARCE: Let us just get this out on the record so that the lies, distortions and twisting are clear. Let us get it clear.

The Hon. Amanda Fazio: Come on. You've got a minute left.

The Hon. GREG PEARCE: We will take it slowly. Ms Aplin went on, in answer to the question of the Deputy Leader of the Opposition:

Ultimately, in terms of the proposals under the issues paper, if the Committee would like it costed we can provide that on notice.

Is she not cooperative? Am I not cooperative in going back to the transcript to expose Labor members' lies, distortion and twisting that they try when they ask a question? In this House there is no obligation not to tell a lie when a member asks a question. Liar, liar, when a member asks a question is okay. It is okay when a member asks a question and wants to be liar, liar. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition went on to ask:

The Hon. ADAM SEARLE: My question was: You have not been asked by the Government to cost these proposals to date?

I thought she had answered the question but, anyway, he put it again, and she said:

Ms APLIN: Ultimately, as I said, we always work through many costings, and then it is a matter for Government ...

The Hon. Amanda Fazio: Time!

The Hon. GREG PEARCE: Oh. Now, do we have a supplementary, or does "Liar, liar, question time" not want to hear the rest of it? [Time expired.]

[Interruption]

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Minister will come to order.