Page 3018 - Week 10 - Thursday, 16 August 1990

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SCHOOL CLOSURES

MR WOOD, by leave: Mr Speaker, I present the following paper:

School Closures - Copy of paper prepared by Ms H. Szuty and Mr G. Evans entitled "There are alternatives to School Closures".

This was prepared in response to a general request from the Minister for Education, and I should draw it to his attention that they gave this to him some time back, in late July, and he should have had the sense to read it.

PRIVILEGE

Proposed Reference to Standing Committee on Administration and Procedures

MR BERRY, by leave: Mr Speaker, I move:

That the matter raised by Ms Follett (Leader of the Opposition) in relation to a breach of privilege by Mr Collaery (Deputy Chief Minister) be referred to the Administration and Procedures Committee forthwith.

Mr Collaery: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: this motion uses the words "a breach of privilege" and is decisive in itself. The word "alleged" must be there, for this debate to proceed. It is determinative in itself.

MR BERRY: I do not have any difficulty with that. I accept that. I will include it by leave, if you like - "an alleged breach". Do I need to seek leave to include it?

MR SPEAKER: No, it has been accepted by the chamber. The motion now reads:

That the matter raised by Ms Follett (Leader of the Opposition) in relation to an alleged breach of privilege by Mr Collaery (Deputy Chief Minister) be referred to the Administration and Procedures Committee forthwith.

MR BERRY: My apologies, Mr Collaery.

Mr Speaker, the matter of privilege is an important issue because there are certain privileges which members of the legislature enjoy, and this legislature is no exception to that. May I refer to House of Representatives Practice, the second edition. On page 682 there is a definition of privilege by May. He describes parliamentary privilege as:

... the sum of the peculiar rights enjoyed by each House collectively as a constituent part of the High Court of Parliament, and by members of each


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