Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 04 Hansard (Tuesday, 30 March 2004) . . Page.. 1253 ..

Mr Speaker, I have, because the committee found that a contempt did exist, the committee found that intent did exist and the committee found that the issue was serious, notwithstanding Mrs Dunne’s actions in standing down from that inquiry.

I agree with Mr Cornwell that there are lessons here for the people coming after us. I do agree that such education should be an integral part of the induction course for new members and I do agree with the point made by, I think, Ms Tucker that perhaps people who come into this place and go directly into the ministry—for example, the Leader of the Opposition—should, whence they go to the opposition benches, also be able to access this sort of training.

But my response to Ms Tucker is that, at the end of the day, they have to want to do it. Nobody can compel anybody to go on these courses. People who work in this place as staff members often think, sometimes quite rightly so, that they know more about parliamentary procedures than members. I would concur with that in lots of cases. In fact, I would suggest that that was the case with Mrs Dunne.

I thank the committee for its report, I thank the committee for the reception I received when I appeared before it, and I thank the committee for its recommendations, although I was a little disappointed not to have received some guidance about where to go from here, other than to put in an induction program.

MRS DUNNE (11.18): I thank the members of the privileges committee for their report, although I think that the members’ interpretation of my actions is slightly at variance with my own belief in what those actions constituted. I suppose really what it boils down to is that there is disagreement about the intent, but the conclusion in the report was an understandable conclusion for the committee to come to.

I thank the committee for its report. I apologise again to members for the thoughtlessness of this action and apologise to members for the amount of effort that they have had to put into addressing this matter. I hope that we can all put it down to experience. I will learn from it and I hope that other members will.

Debate (on motion by Ms Dundas) adjourned to the next sitting.

Community Services and Social Equity—Standing Committee

Report 5

MR HARGREAVES (11.20): I present the following report:

Community Services and Social Equity—Standing Committee—Report 5—“No longer just a number”—Youth services provided at the Adolescent Day Unit, dated 25 March 2004, together with a copy of the extracts of the relevant minutes of proceedings.

I seek leave to move a motion authorising the report for publication.

Leave granted.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .