Page 2461 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 29 June 2005
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Amendment negatived.
MS MacDONALD (Brindabella) (4.01), in reply: I would like to start by saying that I have been referred to just now by the Deputy Clerk as “Mr” and earlier by Dr Foskey on several occasions as “Mrs”. I would like to point out for the record that I am a Ms. I am married, but I retain the title “Ms”. I know it was just a slip of the tongue on the Deputy Clerk’s part.
MR SPEAKER: Relevance.
MS MACDONALD: Yes, that is very true, Mr Speaker. I just wanted to get it on the record that I am not a Mr or a Mrs.
I would like to thank members of the Assembly for their contribution to the discussion. Of course I will not reflect on the vote that we just had, but I did not get a chance to respond to the amendment. I would say that, in my opinion, it would have been making policy on the run, which I understand Mr Pratt is very good at doing.
MR SPEAKER: That debate is over. And I am glad you said you would not reflect on the vote.
MS MACDONALD: I have moved on, Mr Speaker. I understand Mr Pratt is very good at making policy on the run. I am glad that he agrees with the spirit of the motion. He has made the comment that, rather than tabling a motion, we should just have an announcement. Once again, this would be policy on the run. What this motion was about was to say, “Let us have the discussion here in this place and let us go away and get the people who are authorities on these matters to investigate the issues properly, rather than having knee-jerk policy, rather than having policy on the run.”
I would also point out that Mr Pratt picked up one issue. I was surprised to hear about retrograde fitting. I want to read the following from Macquarie Dictionary for Mr Pratt’s benefit:
retrograde: 1. moving backwards; having a backward motion or direction; retiring or retreating step ... 3. inverse or reversed, as order. 4. Chiefly Biology exhibiting degeneration or deterioration. 5. Astronomy denoting an apparent or actual motion in a direction opposite to the order of the signs of the zodiac, or from east to west.
I think what Mr Pratt might have been looking for was “retrospective”, which means:
1. directed to the past; contemplative of past events. 2. looking or directed backwards. 3. retroactive, as a statute.
I wanted to point that out for your edification, Mr Pratt. If you like I can look up the word “edification” for you and give you the dictionary definition of that, too, in case you do not really know what that means.
Dr Foskey, I take on board the comments that you made about problems with some smoke detectors. I know that toast can set off smoke detectors and, at other times, there are other problems with kitchen smoke setting off smoke detectors. It is an issue, and that
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