Church and State versus the perils of outsourcing

                                     Though no man be assur’d what grace to find

You stand in coldest expectation.

King Henry IV, Part II, Act five, Scene two

 

With Estimates due in November, I thought it might be useful to see how far we have come in Upper House scrutiny over the past century and a half. The following text is taken in its entirety from the Western Australian Parliamentary Hansard (link here).

WA Legislative Council Thursday, 4th July, 1878.

DUTY ON FURNITURE AND BAGGAGE OF HIS LORDSHIP BISHOP PARRY.

Sir T. COCKBURN-CAMPBELL — having elicited from the Colonial Secretary the fact that, on the occasion of the arrival in the Colony of Bishop Parry, his furniture and baggage were admitted, as had been done in the case of his predecessor, without payment of duty, and that His Lordship had since been called upon to pay duty on the same,-moved a resolution to the effect that in view of the exceptional circumstances under which the Bishop had been called upon twelve months after his arrival in the Colony-to pay the duty, the Council should respectfully suggest to the Government that the payment should not be enforced….

… No doubt the Bishop was prepared to pay the duty on his arrival in the Colony, but he was then led to believe that he had no duty to pay, but, twelve months afterwards, a sudden and totally unexpected call was made upon him for payment of the duty. This appeared to the hon. baronet to be such an irregular proceeding on the part of the Government officers concerned in the matter, that he thought the House would be quite justified in entering a protest against such irregularities….

…. Mr. CROWTHER, though not intending to oppose the resolution, intimated that in the event of its being affirmed, he would bring forward a similar motion with respect to some articles belonging to the Bishop of New Norcia, who in like manner had been called upon to pay duty some time after the goods-certain vestments for his own use-had been landed. A minister of the Congregational body who not long ago arrived in the Colony all had also been called upon to pay duty on his baggage, and the same had occurred still more recently in the case of a Wesleyan minister. Personally, he did not care two straws whether the clergy were really entitled to the privilege of having their furniture and baggage admitted duty free; but if the concession was made with regard -to the clergy of one denomination it ought to be extended to the ministers of every other religious denomination. If such a privilege really did attach to the clerical office, all he could say was he was sorry he was not a dignitary of the church himself….

…. Mr. MARMION regretted very much that the attention of the House had been called to the matter at all, and thought they were entering upon very dangerous ground. In saying so, he had no intention whatever to oppose the resolution, but he did think it was a pity the subject had come before the House in any way, inasmuch as it would have a tendency to impress upon the minds of many persons 'outside that there exists in this country what had not existed for many years back-a State Church, and that there were privileges granted to the clergy of that church which were not granted to the clergy of other denominations….

….. The resolution was then put to the House and carried on the voices.

On the House resuming, Sir. T. COCKBURN-CAMPBELL said that in explanation, and in justice to Bishop Parry, he would like to say that the Bishop had never said a word to him about this matter, nor was His Lordship aware that he had intended to propose such a resolution.

….

Friday 12 July 1878

ESTIMATES: FURTHER CONSIDERED IN COMMITTEE….

…. Aborigines, Item £1,210 read:

MR. MONGER called attention to the practice adopted in distributing blankets to aborigines. These blankets were sent from Perth to York to the Resident Magistrates, who-no doubt with the best intention issued them to the settlers for distribution to the natives; but as a rule the blankets were given to their own native shepherds, who traded with the bush natives, obtaining opossum skins in barter for the blankets given away by the Government. He would suggest that the blankets should be issued by the Resident Magistrate at York to the police-constables stationed to the Eastward (and not to the settlers) for distribution among the natives.

THE COLONIAL SECRETARY (Hon. R. T. Goldsworthy) said if that were very glad at all times to learn the views of hon. members on such matters, and to give them every consideration, as he would with regard to the present suggestion.

MR. CAREY thought it would be a very good plan to leave the distribution of the blankets in the hands of the police, rather than in the hands of the settlers. He would also suggest that they be distributed in the early part of the year; at present, the natives did not receive them until the winter was half over.

The vote for "Aborigines" was then put and passed.