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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 8 Hansard (28 October) . . Page.. 2352 ..

Mr Berry: You could have moved this at 10.30 this morning. You just want to do it in question time.

MR MOORE: Mr Speaker, it seems to me that it is entirely appropriate and within the normal precedents of this Assembly that we deal with this matter now. Of course, this would not do away with question time. Questions would continue after the matter has been dealt with.

MR OSBORNE (2.54): Mr Speaker, I find it very hard to be involved in a censure motion given that I have not seen yesterday's Hansard. I believe people are chasing it. My understanding is that this censure motion relates to something Mr Corbell said yesterday. I think it would be very hard for us - - -

Mr Kaine: But you will take the Minister at his word, won't you?

MR OSBORNE: I would like to. It would be very hard for us on the crossbench to support a censure motion when we have not read what has been said. I believe the Hansard is being chased up. Given that we have not seen what was said, I think that we should get on with question time and address this later. I have not seen the Hansard, Mr Speaker. My understanding is that the allegations are about what was said yesterday, so perhaps we should get on with question time and deal with it very shortly.

MR STANHOPE (Leader of the Opposition) (2.55): This is an absolutely desperate stunt by a government that knows it has no credibility within the community in terms of its flawed proposal to sell ACTEW. It knows the people of Canberra do not want the sale of ACTEW. It is desperately seeking diversions. It is running a scare campaign associated with the superannuation liability, and it is now seeking to create whatever smoke and confusion it can around the issue through this sort of diversionary stunt. It is an appalling stunt by the Government and it has pulled it in the middle of question time. Mr Humphries could have moved this motion at 10.30 this morning had he thought it had any substance or merit. He hung around all day and waited for his standing dorothy dixer before moving it. It is an appalling stunt which brings enormous discredit on the Government and on Mr Moore.

MS TUCKER (2.56): I will speak briefly. I think it would be reasonable to finish question time. I understand the precedent that we do try to address these kinds of accusations as soon as possible. I have not seen Hansard either. This is not a petty matter, as members of the Government have said. I think it would be reasonable to wait until after question time. Hopefully we will have had a chance to look at Hansard by then, to consider the matter and to give it the weight that it deserves.

MR SMYTH (Minister for Urban Services) (2.57): Mr Humphries, in response to a question, was to make the point that he thought the Assembly had received information that was not perhaps as correct as it could have been. I heard Mr Humphries say that he was going to offer Mr Corbell the opportunity to either confirm or retract it, if he had only part of the information or had misunderstood the information. Mr Berry leapt to his feet and said, "You cannot say that; you must withdraw it or you must move the motion".

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