Page 1826 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 1 May 1991

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Mr Collaery: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: Are you going to allow this? I ask you to rule on this matter now.

MR SPEAKER: Order! Mr Collaery, I did rule on it. You were given the opportunity to state your case. Mr Berry is stating his. I do not see that there is - - -

Mr Collaery: He is not saying how he has been misrepresented.

MR SPEAKER: Order! It is very close to 12.30. The sitting is suspended for the lunch break.

Sitting suspended from 12.26 to 2.30 pm

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Alliance Government

MS FOLLETT: My question is to the Chief Minister. Mr Kaine, what action have you taken to stop the public brawling between your Ministers, which was evidenced yet again this morning in Mr Collaery's remarks on ABC radio about his colleague Mr Humphries?

MR KAINE: I do not know that there is any public brawling, Mr Speaker. The Leader of the Opposition is quick to jump on anybody who expresses any opinion of any kind about anything. I have repeatedly said, Mr Speaker - - -

Mr Berry: What they need is a bit of strong leadership over that side. That is what they need. They need some discipline.

MR KAINE: You are the last person to talk about discipline. You have no personal discipline whatsoever.

I have made it quite clear on many occasions that the Alliance is a group of people with various political and other beliefs. We work together strongly as a government and the evidence for that is on the record. I do not expect all of my Ministers or all of the members to toe the line on every issue, like the Labor Party expects of the members of its Caucus. If they have an opinion to express, generally speaking, they go and express it. I think it is healthy debate. It shows the general community out there that we are not always of one mind on all subjects; but it also demonstrates that, when it comes to the crunch and we want to put a policy into place, we agree on what we are going to do and we go and do it. We do not fight in the Caucus room like you lot.


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