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

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 9 Hansard (3 September) . . Page.. 2824 ..

MR SPEAKER: Are you going to withdraw or not; if not, I will - - -

Mr Whitecross: May I just clarify this, Mr Speaker? He is allowed to mislead the house; I am not allowed to say so. I withdraw the word "mislead", Mr Speaker, but this Minister ought not - - -

MR SPEAKER: Order!

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, this is an abuse of standing orders. It has been suggested that he withdraw and he will not.

Mr Whitecross: I have withdrawn the word "mislead", but this Minister ought not to say things which are not true.

MR SPEAKER: Mr Whitecross, if you feel that you have been badly done by, you have standing order 46 to fall back on; but, if you are suggesting that the Minister is misleading the house, then you will withdraw it. Otherwise I will have to take action.

Mr Whitecross: Mr Speaker, I have withdrawn it. While we are talking about abusing the forms of the house, I believe it is an abuse of the forms of the house to deliberately misrepresent other members and then to fall back on standing order 46.

MR SPEAKER: You have withdrawn it?

Mr Whitecross: I did, ages ago.

MR HUMPHRIES: I am more than happy to bring down and read into the Hansard the question where you said that the police could not answer telephones properly. It is there in the record. I will bring it down and read it into the Hansard. Then you can tell me who is misleading the house or telling lies.

Mr Speaker, I am not prepared to lay blame in this exercise. Clearly, there was a period during which the ACT was short-changed. I am the first Minister to investigate those matters and I am the Minister who has drawn it to the attention of this place. The question needs to be asked - - -

Mr Corbell: After we pointed it out to you. You did not want to talk about it until we asked questions.

MR HUMPHRIES: I am not going to talk over these people, Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER: Mr Corbell, if you interject again, I warn you now.

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, if there was a lack of transparency and accountability in the arrangements between the ACT and the Commonwealth Government, the question needs to be asked - - -

Mr Berry: You are a bit precious about this.

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