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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 11 Hansard (6 November) . . Page.. 3682 ..

MR BERRY (Leader of the Opposition): Mr Speaker, before granting leave, I seek leave to make a short statement.

Leave granted.

MR BERRY: Mr Speaker, we agree to a pair for the Chief Minister to attend the COAG meeting and we therefore will be giving leave for the incorporation in Hansard of speeches on these pieces of legislation. They were brought to my attention yesterday after the house rose. But I have to say to the Manager of Government Business that I would appreciate it if in future he could arrange for the business of a Minister who is to be absent to be held over until they are back, or that it is arranged that the Ministers are here in place to read the relevant speeches which are appropriate in some cases in relation to these pieces of legislation. I think it is poorly managed Government business.

MR HUMPHRIES (Attorney-General): Mr Speaker, I also seek leave to make a short statement on this subject.

Leave granted.

MR HUMPHRIES: I might inform the house, Mr Speaker, that one of the reasons why the Chief Minister was not able to be present this morning is very largely the quite uncertain nature of the meeting that she is attending this morning. The meeting at one point was off, then it was on, then it was off again, and only as recently as yesterday afternoon it was on again. The Chief Minister yesterday morning expected to be here to present her own Bills, and only because of the - - -

Mr Berry: It was always going to be on for part of the day.

MR HUMPHRIES: No, that is not so. It was going to be on for the morning only at various stages during the period between now and about two weeks ago. The meeting has been virtually on and off several times.

Mr Berry: Pay closer attention to your business in future, Gary.

MR HUMPHRIES: I am sorry that Mr Berry must make a point about this, but the reality is that nobody could have planned to have avoided that problem any better than that.

MR SPEAKER: Mr Humphries has asked that the speech in relation to the Health Professions Boards (Procedures) (Amendment) Bill 1997 be incorporated in Hansard.

Leave granted.

Speech incorporated at Appendix 4.

Debate (on motion by Mr Berry) adjourned.

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