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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 6 Hansard (25 May) . . Page.. 1907 ..
MR MOORE (continuing):
There is nothing undemocratic in this process. On the contrary, when 17 members are here and all 17 members have an opportunity to vote on it, they ought to be given that opportunity. Rushing the vote through earlier, not adjourning the matter, simply led to this situation. If the majority of members here wish to vote on this issue at this stage and wish to recommit it, that is democratic. That will also be a majority of members. What a majority of members in this place want gives you a democratic result.
Mr Berry: Dishonest, Michael.
MR MOORE: It is very simple. It is very straightforward. Even Mr Berry, who we know can look at something that is black and argue for three-quarters of a hour or longer that it is white, would understand that the democratic process here is very clearly set out by the majority of members. The majority of members have illustrated already that they wished to suspend standing orders to allow this motion to come on, so the process is democratic. It is appropriate that we recommit a vote and try to understand what the whole membership of the Assembly feels about the issue. That is what we are going to find out. If a member chooses to speak about it, so be it. I certainly chose to speak about it. I have done so, and you know that. If another member chooses not to speak, that is also their prerogative.
Mr Stanhope: Do you think the Democrats would put up with this?
Mr Berry: The Democrats? They would love him. The Democrats would love him. They like the GST and he likes the GST.
Mr Stanhope: The Democrats wouldn't put up with this.
MR MOORE: Mr Speaker, standing order 202 (e) provides for action against a member who persistently and wilfully disregards the authority of the chair. Mr Berry, in spite of the fact that you have asked again and again today for members not to interject like this-
Mr Berry: No, I was talking to Mr Stanhope.
MR SPEAKER: Keep your voice down.
MR MOORE: Mr Speaker, on a previous occasion, when members were niggling each other, one could understand the interjections. I have not at any stage through this speech needled the members of the opposition in any way, yet there has been constant interjection, particularly by Mr Berry, and I ask you to keep an eye on that.
Mr Speaker, this is an appropriate process. A majority of members of the Assembly have agreed that it is appropriate. An absolute majority of members have agreed to the suspension of standing orders. It is a democratic process and it is appropriate that we should proceed. We would not be in this embarrassing position for the opposition had Mr Berry agreed to a sensible adjournment earlier in the day.
MR
BERRY (11.09): Mr Moore attempts to recreate history again. No adjournment was put, Mr Moore, as you might recall. I might have been feeling a bit tired at that time, but I didn't hear an adjournment motion being put. Mr Humphries approached me and said,
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