Page 21 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 12 February 1991
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
the thing into some sort of perspective and allay some of the speculation that has been abroad in recent days. I table the following paper:
Civic Square Redevelopment Project - Ministerial statement, 12 February 1991.
Motion (by Mr Berry), by leave, proposed:
That the Assembly takes note of the paper.
Debate (on motion by Ms Follett) adjourned.
WAR IN THE PERSIAN GULF
Ministerial Statement
MR KAINE (Chief Minister): Mr Speaker, I seek leave of the Assembly to make a ministerial statement on the war in the Persian Gulf.
MR SPEAKER: Is leave granted?
Mr Berry: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker.
MR KAINE: That was pretty quick. You have a problem, have you?
Mr Berry: It is the Speaker's problem, really. I seek your guidance in relation to this matter, Mr Speaker. Standing order 74 points out the issues which are dealt with in the routine of business, and it refers to ministerial statements by leave. That is the only reference in the standing orders to ministerial statements or the content of ministerial statements. I refer you further to standing order 275, which states:
Any question relating to procedure or the conduct of business of the Assembly not provided for in these standing orders or practices of the Assembly shall be decided according to the practice at the time prevailing in the House of Representatives in the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia.
I draw your attention, Mr Speaker, to page 289 of House of Representatives Practice, second edition, where, under the heading "Ministerial statements, by leave", it states:
By leave of the House, Ministers may make statements concerning government policy or other matters for which they have ministerial responsibility.
It goes on from that point. It seems to me, Mr Speaker, that it is appropriate for this sort of matter to be raised in the adjournment debate rather than at this stage because defence and the Gulf war are not issues the Chief Minister
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .