Page 1639 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 2 June 2021

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With respect to pretending that this is the same motion, look at it. Look at the amendment that we will see from Mr Braddock, members. Is that the same motion? It is a whole new motion—substitute “this Assembly”, and all words after “this Assembly”. The whole thing is new. It is a whole new motion that has been stitched up between the Labor Party and the Greens behind closed doors.

They talk about being open. They talk about process. This is a complete abrogation of the processes of this place. That is what is happening today, just to keep this little love-fest between the Labor Party and the Greens going.

The third, and last, point that I make is that this is before a committee. Ms Clay, who is the chair of that committee, spoke earlier and said that if it does pass it will affect the committee’s consideration. A committee that has legislative functions is looking at this issue in a considered way, and Mr Braddock is steamrolling in here, bumbling along and saying, “No, I’ll get it right this time; trust me.” The committee chair has stood up and sought leave to say, “This is going to affect our consideration.”

There is no way that we should be supporting this. You might think, “Okay, we’ll let them have another slot. We’ll ignore that.” We do not normally in this place do things that trample all over a committee’s consideration of a matter, particularly when the chair of the committee has stood up and said, “Hey members, be aware that if you pass this today, you are interfering with our business.”

We should not support the motion for suspension, Madam Speaker, on a number of grounds. It sets a whole new precedent in this place. And let me tell you: if you pass this, we will use it. (Time expired.)

MR BARR (Kurrajong—Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Climate Action, Minister for Economic Development and Minister for Tourism) (4.45): Whilst I always enjoy Mr Hanson’s comedic contributions to this place, his recollections of history are inaccurate and do not accord with how many matters of private members’ business, and indeed occasionally government business, have been dealt with in this place.

No-one amongst this group has been here for longer than me, so I have the longest corporate memory of anyone in this place around how we have dealt with these sorts of matters. At various points, be it with legislation or motions, debate has been adjourned. We have gone off and sorted out particular matters and then brought them back, including in the detail stage of a piece of legislation. Often there have been private members’ bills that have covered similar territory to government legislation, and we have had cognate debates on particular issues.

In the context of this particular suspension of standing orders, it is not unusual, in the time that I have been in this place, which is longer than anyone else now, that this sort of thing would occur.

I do not think that it should be standard practice, and I give a degree of lenience, in making that observation, about the fact that we have a number of new members in this


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