Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 5 (Hansard) 16 May) . . Page.. 1375 ..

MR SPEAKER: Mr Berry has withdrawn.

MRS CARNELL: I am happy to withdraw, Mr Speaker, and now I will just quote exactly what I am talking about. Ms McRae said on page 77 of the uncorrected proof Hansard of 14 May:

[That is] at clear odds with what you said to Mr Moore's committee on April 28.

That was that there was no commitment by the Commonwealth, which she had already spoken about. She then went on to say:

... on May 7 which flies in opposition to statements you made on May 3, 1995, on April 28 to committee.

She says on two occasions that I made comments to the committee along the lines that the Commonwealth had no obligation to clean up. I do not know what that is, Mr Speaker; but, whatever it is, it is not the truth. Is that a better way to put it?

Ms McRae: Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order. Mrs Carnell has raised a completely different issue to the question before her. I am now going to seek to make a personal explanation at the end. However, Mr Speaker, to choose to attack my integrity in this way now, I suggest, is out of order. There are processes by which Mrs Carnell can either seek to make a personal explanation or seek to move a motion against me, but I urge you to ask her to complete her question and to withdraw her imputation. Then I will be more than happy to make a personal explanation.

Mr Kaine: Mr Speaker, I invite your attention to standing order 202(e). I submit that the member opposite is guilty under that standing order, and there is an appropriate course of action that you can take.

MR SPEAKER: I would remind members that standing order 202(e) states that a member persistently and wilfully disregarding the authority of the Chair may be named by the Speaker. I am not going to say this again. I am making this point. Standing order 46 allows everybody to make a personal explanation if they feel that they have somehow had their integrity impugned. Ms McRae has indicated that she would like to make an explanation under standing order 46, and I am happy to accept that at the end of this question time. Chief Minister, after what she has said you may decide that you need to make one as well.

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, I am happy to withdraw any comments that I have made that have impugned anybody's character. In fact, I believe that such comments are totally inappropriate in this house, but I believe that the same rules should exist on both sides of the Assembly. It is simply not acceptable for it not to be all right for me to make the same comment about Ms McRae that Mr Berry made about me. I would be very happy - - -

MR SPEAKER: Both have been withdrawn. Can we finish the answer?

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .