Page 2224 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 16 August 2006
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That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent Ms Porter from making a statement.
The public works committee system that operates around the country is a very significant one. It is a very important opportunity for members of this place to explore how public works and environment committees work in other jurisdictions and the issues that they are facing. Ms Porter is a member of the committee that attended the conference. She has a range of insights that she would like to present to the Assembly in addition to the comments that Mr Gentleman has presented in his statement on behalf of the committee. It is quite reasonable in the circumstances, given it is quite a significant conference and one that has been attended by members from a range of parties, for that opportunity to occur. That is why I seek to suspend standing orders to permit Ms Porter to do that.
MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (12.03): The opposition is fairly generous in its provisions for leave, and leave has already been given for the chairman to make a statement on this subject.
Mr Hargreaves: Yes, we noticed that. We noticed the pair for yesterday.
MRS DUNNE: If you want to talk about pairs, Mr Hargreaves, you will learn something about procedure in this place. There are no procedures in this place that allow pairs at a committee meeting.
MR SPEAKER: Order!
MRS DUNNE: There are no procedures. There is a time-honoured way for all things, and this is not the way you do it.
Mr Hargreaves: That was an outrage.
MR SPEAKER: Order! Mrs Dunne, resume your seat. Mr Hargreaves, cease. Mrs Dunne has the call.
MRS DUNNE: The opposition in this place is very good at giving leave. We give leave when people ask for it. Especially if people give notice, we give leave. What we have seen here today is Ms Porter seeking to use the standing order so that she can also make a statement about something that was, I am sure, a fascinating conference. I attended many of those conferences in the past. They are useful, but Mr Gentleman has done the work of the committee and made a report on the subject. We should be moving on. What is happening today—and Ms Porter is part of it—is the giant Labor Party filibuster. Because there are items on this agenda that cause discomfort to this government they are using every trick in the book and we will not be part of it.
Ms Porter is really gilding the lily. Mr Gentleman waxed lyrical about the wonders of Green Island. I am glad he did not talk about the snorkelling. I am sure there was plenty of snorkelling and I am sure it was wonderful. But this is not the business of today. Today’s business is private members’ business. If this is the way that the committees are going to work, we will play it much tougher. What we see here today is important business on this blue that this government is uncomfortable about. The government does
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