Page 2449 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 29 June 2005

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It is a pity that on this day, on the arrival of this family, the Rahmati family, that they have received what to them would probably be a particularly rude shock that there are, within this community, those that look at them through different eyes; they look at them and see not just human beings in need; they see what their leader has always seen—people that in some way represent this appalling threat to them. It is to do with the fact that they are different. It is to do with the fact that they have no respect of their rights as individual people.

I ask that all further questions be placed on the notice paper.

Personal explanations

MR SESELJA (Molonglo): Mr Speaker, I seek leave to make a personal explanation under standing order 46.

Leave granted.

MR SESELJA: I believe the Chief Minister, in his long-winded answer just then, misrepresented all of us, and certainly me, by saying that we maintain rage against refugees. I put on record that I have no rage against refugees but that Mr Stanhope did not appear to have a problem with locking up children when he was in government in 1992, working for a Labor government that implemented that policy—

MR SPEAKER: Order! Resume your seat, Mr Seselja. If you abuse the leave that I give you to make a personal explanation, you will find that you will not get leave to make them.

Mrs Dunne, I have something I would like to say to you as well. During question time you raised a point of order, which a person of your standing and experience would know was not a point of order, and I ruled accordingly. But I want now to draw your attention to page 187 of House of Representatives Practice. At the bottom of the page it reads:

The opportunity to raise a point of order should not be misused to deliberately disrupt proceedings or to respond to debate.

And it goes on. I draw your attention to standing order 202A, which relates to the issue of persistently and wilfully obstructing the business of the Assembly. I am not a humourless man, and I do not mind a little bit of fun and games from time to time when it comes to humour in points of order, but I will not have the business of the Assembly disrupted by points of order which are not points of order but merely efforts to enter the debate. Mrs Dunne, you wanted to say something?

MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra): Yes, Mr Speaker. I seek leave to make a personal explanation under standing order 46.

Leave granted.

MRS DUNNE: In answer to a question today Mr Stanhope has misrepresented the reasons why I did not approve a pair today. The longstanding policy of the Liberal Party,


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