Page 230 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 12 May 1992

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HEADS OF GOVERNMENT MEETING
Leave to make Ministerial Statement

MS FOLLETT (Chief Minister and Treasurer) (3.18): Madam Speaker, yesterday I attended a meeting of heads of government in Canberra to discuss a range of issues of national interest. As I indicated prior to my attendance at the meeting, I hoped to see three major outcomes from the discussions.

MADAM SPEAKER: Ms Follett, I am loath to interrupt. Could we just get leave for you to speak.

MS FOLLETT: I thought I had leave. All right, Madam Speaker, I ask for leave to make a statement.

MADAM SPEAKER: Is leave granted?

Mr Humphries: No. We were not given notice of this type of thing.

MS FOLLETT: You were. It is a ministerial statement.

Mr Humphries: We were not given notice.

Leave not granted.

Suspension of Standing and Temporary Orders

Motion (by Mr Berry) proposed:

That so much of the standing and temporary orders be suspended as would prevent Ms Follett making a statement on the Heads of Government Meeting.

MR HUMPHRIES (3.19): Madam Speaker, may I speak to the motion?

MADAM SPEAKER: Yes, you may.

MR HUMPHRIES: Madam Speaker, the Government appears to be a little bit inconsistent here. The argument of the Opposition is that we have not been given notice of the general thrust of this ministerial statement.

Ms Follett: You were. Talk to your Whip.

MR HUMPHRIES: Madam Speaker, I understand that what was told to the Whip this morning was that there would be a statement, probably by the Chief Minister, maybe about the Premiers Conference yesterday. There was no specificity about it, no indication of whether that was the case. In fact, a paper came out this afternoon referring, I understand, to the moving of a motion subsequent to this matter concerning national rail transport. This has added to the confusion about what is going on.

Mr Berry: That has already been raised with you.

MR HUMPHRIES: Maybe it was, but we have never had any clear statement since that time of just what it is that we are going to have a statement about today.

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