Page 2081 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 25 October 1989
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That the Assembly takes note of the paper.
MR HUMPHRIES (3.32): I want to respond just briefly to the Minister's absolutely outrageous abuse of the opportunities provided by the making of a ministerial statement in this house today. Up until now, the Government has declined to abuse the privilege provided by that - - -
Mr Berry: I rise on a point of order, Mr Speaker. At this point the house is dealing with ministerial statements, and if Mr Humphries has a point of order that he wishes to raise in relation to the procedure he ought to raise it.
MR SPEAKER: Order! Minister Berry, that is not a point of order. He has now the right to speak, as do all members of the Assembly.
MR HUMPHRIES: My speech will be very brief. I wish only to say that I am disgusted by the abuse of privilege on the part of the Minister and the precedents that are being set in the making of ministerial statements. If we are to see Ministers using this opportunity to make statements of a broad nature about issues of no relevance whatsoever to the ACT, then I wonder how long it will be before we have Ministers making statements about international affairs and about other issues of total irrelevance to the ACT. I just wonder what the Minister is getting at with this kind of charade.
The Minister has indulged in an utter tirade of irrelevance and, worst of all perhaps, he has caused delay to the business of the Assembly this afternoon by engaging in a 25-minute ramble about issues dealing with matters more properly the prerogative of the Federal Parliament. That is totally inexcusable. I am concerned to see that this practice does not take off and become emulated by other Ministers. If it does, we will certainly be looking at changing the standing orders to make sure it does not occur.
We all heard the ejaculations of horror this morning from Ministers, including Mrs Grassby, who when other debates were taking place were saying, "Get on with the business. Let us deal with more important matters like the LA(MS) Bill. Let us deal with important things like the payroll tax Bill". In spite of all those claims that were made this morning, Ministers are now taking part in gross irrelevance and, if we see more of this, we are going to be all very sorry. Worst of all, the Minister's speech was quite tedious. I seek leave to continue my remarks at a later date.
Mr Berry: I rise on a point of order, Mr Speaker. If Mr Humphries wishes to speak to the motion I think he is quite entitled to, as you quite properly ruled a moment ago. But I think, once he has concluded his remarks, that is the end of the matter so far as the debate on this issue is
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