WE KNOW WHAT YOU SHOULD NOT KNOW

DEMOCRACY in South Australia can be a sometime thing. A select committee of
State Parliament is examining the heroin trials issue.

It is speaking to such high public officials as the police Commissioner, Mr
Hyde. Yet State Parliament has ruled that such evidence is to be heard in
camera, not to be disclosed or published.

In one of those quibbles beloved of politicians and lawyers, a parliamentary
committee is a different thing from a select committee and can be reported.

Next they will define precisely how many angels can dance on the point of a
pin.

This is mere havering. The argument advanced by those who make the rules is
that this protection is necessary to ensure the collection of evidence from
witnesses who would otherwise, be unwilling to appear.

That may - and even then arguably - be relevant in certain criminal
investigations and even so, any evidence must be tested in open court.

There may be rare and exceptional circumstances with committee hearings, but
only rare and exceptional.

Here we are talking about the framing of public policy, the operation of the
Parliament of the people. That phrase is worth repeating: the Parliament of
the people.

The argument seems to be this: we are your representatives and so we are
entitled to know things you cannot know in order to come to decisions on
your behalf.

If that is SA parliamentary democracy then SA parliamentary democracy is not
fulfilling its role.