Page 4328 - Week 13 - Thursday, 17 November 2005
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identification legislation and systems in other jurisdictions, to ensure that the territory’s legislation is consistent and compatible with these jurisdictions, particularly New South Wales and Victoria. There is nothing sinister about this; it is mechanical.
Amendment agreed to.
Bill, as a whole, as amended, agreed to.
Bill, as amended, agreed to.
Adjournment
Motion (by Mr Quinlan) proposed:
That the Assembly do now adjourn.
Disability ACT—Ms Alyssa Blazey
MR HARGREAVES (Brindabella—Minister for Disability, Housing and Community Services, Minister for Urban Services and Minister for Police and Emergency Services) (4.29): I rise in this adjournment debate to put a couple of things on the record. I was quite annoyed today when I was asked a question about a specific case being administered, if that is the right word, by the Department of Disability, Housing and Community Services. I need to place a further piece of annoyance and anger on my part on the record. When supersensitive cases like this one have come up, it has been the case on occasion that my office has offered selected people among those opposite detailed briefings on a confidential basis.
What annoys me, beyond that which I expressed in question time today, was that a briefing on this particular case was offered to the Leader of the Opposition by my office. I make two observations: firstly, the Leader of the Opposition did not have the courtesy to respond to that invitation; and, secondly, as with all parliaments, the party rooms decide on the content of questions. It is unheard of for the Leader Of The Opposition or the leader of the government not to know the content of questions being asked in question time. The Leader of the Opposition in this place—
Mr Quinlan: Which opposition?
MR HARGREAVES: I am not sure, actually. I take it back, Mr Mulcahy: I was talking about Mr Smyth. Mr Smyth knew the content of the question that Mrs Burke asked today, knew it was inappropriate and knew that he had been offered a confidential briefing by my office and he had not had the courtesy to respond to it.
I have expressed my discontent with Mrs Burke and, as far as I am concerned, that is the end of that matter. But I have a big problem with the behaviour of the official Leader of the Opposition, who should have told his shadow that he had been offered that confidential briefing.
Mrs Burke: We talked, John.
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