Page 37 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 23 May 1989
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them this afternoon and we have found a seat here. The arrangement reached in this Assembly really defies logic. Websters Dictionary defines "opposition" as "the body of members of parliament who are opposed to the party in office and the officially recognised party which is next in number to the party in office".
The Macquarie Dictionary definition is "the major political party opposed to the government". The Rally disputes that these people sitting on my right are really opposed to the Government. They elected them - that is the Rally's submission - so they fail the first limb of the definition. The second and most important limb, however, is that a majority party be the leader in the opposition. The Liberal-led team here is not a majority team in this Assembly.
Mr Speaker, I draw your attention to a similar situation which arose in an assembly in Canada. The Speaker there ruled that the two equal groups would be treated equally and there would not be any disadvantaged speaking order. Clearly there is going to be a degree of arrangement in this Assembly between the party machines to exclude the Rally from effective debate, effective consultation. Indeed, we see signs of it already with question time having been reduced to 30 minutes, so one presumes that the Leader of the Rally will get the nod on the twenty-fifth minute.
MR SPEAKER: I make the point, Mr Collaery, that the Speaker will nominate those members as they rise and there will be no political bias within the House. I would ask the member to withdraw that inference about the Speaker.
MR COLLAERY: Mr Speaker, I withdraw any suggestion that you would be in any way biased in your decision-making on this floor.
Mr Speaker, the Rally has requested and notes that you have sought constitutional legal advice in relation to this situation. The arguments are not complex. The arguments are clear. Where you have two equal groups democratically elected it is the people on the floor here who determine with their voice not, I submit, Mr Speaker, with respect, a vote arranged in coordination with the governing group. Clearly, all of those who were here on 11 May saw something mysterious happen, which is repeating itself with the election of the Deputy Speaker today.
There is a voting roll against the Rally. One can expect vigorous debate, Mr Speaker, but the Rally does not expect to find itself down in the access to information - - -
Mr Berry: I rise on a point of order, Mr Speaker. I have to press again the issue of the reflection on a previous vote of the Assembly. Clearly, Mr Collaery is reflecting on that vote. I think it is a genuine point of order and I ask you to so rule.
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