Page 3092 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 12 September 1990
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Your petitioners therefore request the Assembly to refrain from implementing further cuts to the education budget, and to investigate the above revenue raising methods.
By Ms Follett (from 5,953 citizens).
Petition received.
NOTICE OF MOTION
Statement by Speaker
MR SPEAKER: Before we proceed, I wish to make a statement with regard to private members' business on the notice paper standing in the name of Mr Berry. It calls on Mr Prowse to clarify statements made on the floor of the house as an MLA, when speaking in the pornography debate on 24 April 1990 concerning the treatment of a 15-year-old south coast patient.
I consider it a very unfortunate circumstance that this issue has been raised in the form of a notice of motion placed on the notice paper. The matter raised is outside the responsibilities of members of the Assembly, and I believe it is totally inappropriate for historical events such as this, which occurred six years prior to the member gaining a seat in the Assembly, to be placed on the notice paper. However, to ensure that I cannot be challenged for using my position of Speaker to unfairly protect myself against criticism, I will now make a statement based on the text of Mr Berry's notice. In particular - - -
Mr Berry: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: one would have expected that this matter would have been placed on the notice paper as a matter of private members' business and that some attempt would have been made in the Administration and Procedures Committee so to do.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, that has happened, Mr Berry. I will now - - -
Mr Berry: It has not happened. I am a member of that committee, as you well know, and it has not been raised there.
MR SPEAKER: It was raised some months ago. I will not debate the issue further. If you will allow me to proceed, I will now make a statement based on Mr Berry's notice. In particular, Mr Berry called on Mr Prowse to indicate whether he had the child's parents' or legal guardians' consent to treatment. The answer is: yes.
Ms Follett: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: are you making this statement as the Speaker, or as an MLA?
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