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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 8 Hansard (19 August) . . Page.. 2812 ..

MR PRATT (continuing):

When the whole of my speech is read it reveals that I said if the government had backed up our fire units and encouraged preventive programs-

Mr Corbell: On a point of order: I understand what Mr Pratt is trying to do but he is stretching the use of this standing order by debating the question. The standing order refers specifically to words being taken out of context. Mr Pratt said he believed that the words he had spoken had been taken out of context. However, he is now debating the question by referring to a number of other things he said in order to substantiate his position. Those statements are not relevant to the speech that was quoted from by Mr Quinlan. Mr Pratt is now debating the question.

MR PRATT: On the point of order: under standing order 47 I am allowed to quote from a speech that I made and to which Mr Quinlan referred. Standing order 47 states that I cannot introduce any new material.

MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: That is correct.

Mr Corbell: You are.

MR PRATT: I have not introduced any new information; I am merely quoting from those sections of my speech that Mr Quinlan chose not to quote from in order to advance his spurious argument.

Mr Stanhope: On the point of order: it is absurd that Mr Pratt is again taking up the time of the Assembly. Standing order 47 is invoked only when a member's speech has been misquoted or misunderstood. Mr Quinlan was not referring to a speech that was made today by Mr Pratt. That speech was not misquoted and it certainly was not misunderstood. Mr Pratt should be ruled out of order as he is abusing the standing orders of this place.

Mr Smyth: On the point of order, Mr Speaker: the Chief Minister has clearly misunderstood. Mr Quinlan quoted from a speech that was made by Mr Pratt. Mr Pratt is simply referring to other sections of that speech in order to put his speech into context. It is quite appropriate for him to do so.

Mr Corbell: On the point of order, Mr Speaker: a member who has already spoken in debate may be heard again in order to explain any material part of his or her speech that has been misquoted or misunderstood. Standing order 47 clearly refers to current debate; it makes no reference to speeches that were made on another occasion. So a member who has already spoken in debate may be heard again in order to explain any material part of his or her speech that has been misquoted or misunderstood. That is not what Mr Pratt is doing. He is debating the motion. Other avenues are available to him if he wants to do that. He should not do that under this standing order.

MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: Do you wish to speak to the point of order, Mr Pratt?

MR PRATT: On the point of order, Mr Speaker: I was quoting from those sections of my speech in an attempt to refute Mr Quinlan's earlier comments.

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