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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 8 Hansard (26 August) . . Page.. 2509 ..

Mr Kaine: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I have had the benefit of advice from every member of the Government except Mr Hird. Would you care to ask him for an opinion?

MR SPEAKER: There is no point of order. The conclusion of the paragraph states:

I cannot argue with that comment.

Mr Moore: Mr Speaker, I accept that, although the ruling is not as I would have made it. I accept your reference to House of Representatives Practice. I would also ask you to refer to the resolution agreed by the Assembly on 4 May 1995 in relation to exercise of freedom of speech. As I raised before, Mr Berry has accused somebody of being corrupt.

Mr Stanhope: He was talking about a process.

Mr Moore: He has refused to withdraw that. Mr Stanhope now talks about a corrupt process and petty corruption. I think at the very least we should draw Mr Berry's attention to what was agreed when Mr Berry was in this Assembly and on the Administration and Procedure Committee - because I was there with him - in May 1995 when this sort of issue came up. If members are free to stand here and name people, I could name one of Mr Berry's staffers or somebody else's staffer and say things about them. We do not do that.

Mr Wood: Is this a point of order or a speech?

Mr Moore: I am referring to the resolution of the Assembly. We do not do that, because we have here a particular privilege, a particular right, which we should exercise with a great deal of care and caution. Mr Berry might technically be right about the standing order, but he ought to take that responsibility instead of dealing with it in such a low way.

Mr Hargreaves: I take a point of order, Mr Speaker. Could I seek your guidance? This has become very cloudy, very murky - - -

Ms Carnell: It has not.

Mr Hargreaves: Do be quiet, you silly woman. Mr Speaker, I am going to ask you to make a ruling, please. I suggest that you draw to the attention of members the relevant things and then get on with question time. Time is getting away, and they are just behaving like a bunch of school kids.

MR SPEAKER: Very sensible advice.

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