Page 3973 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 5 December 2007

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As a consequence of the minister’s failure to do anything about the Braddon depot—we see, by the way, some of the same taggers who tagged that depot then putting their tag all the way through Braddon shopping centre. Let me table 25 photographs, roughly—

Mr Mulcahy: About 18, isn’t it?

MR PRATT: Indeed; I correct the record—about a dozen photographs. I seek leave to table a dozen photographs of the Braddon shopping centre—

Mr TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Gentleman): Is leave granted?

Mrs Dunne: Yes.

MR PRATT: showing the spillover of graffiti activity in the Braddon shopping centre due to this minister’s failure to ensure that his own depots are kept graffiti-free. I table those. Thank you very much. I gather that leave is granted.

Mr TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes, it was, Mr Pratt; you were not listening.

MR PRATT: That is very kind of you indeed. I table the following papers:

Graffiti in Braddon—

Shopping centre—Photos (14).

This minister is simply not fit to be a minister. We have seen his behaviour in committees in the last two years. Multicultural groups cringe at his swearing and his carrying on at functions. There is a complete disregard by this minister of his own office. Senior officials going to his office even tell me that they cringe at his language during ministerial meetings—the sort of language that the minister uses in front of his own staff. We have a minister who is simply out of control.

We have talked here today about his failure to consult over the Griffith library closing. We have talked about a number of issues. This minister has failed in a litany of areas. He has failed to uphold the code of conduct. He has failed to uphold the appropriate standards of behaviour. This minister has failed from whoa to go; that is why this minister must resign. We call upon this minister to resign. (Time expired.)

MR HARGREAVES (Brindabella—Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Minister for Housing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (3.50): I thank Mr Pratt for the entertainment. It is hard to take this matter from Mr Pratt seriously, but I take this matter in this place very, very seriously. In fact, this is a bit of abuse of this place by Mr Pratt. He has not put anything substantive on the table. He has put on the table a photocopy of one page of a report and some photographs of part of the town that I have not seen. He did not have the courtesy to circulate the documents before he tabled them, so he is acting with some discourtesy to this place.

Without seeing the photographs, I cannot particularly comment, but off the top of my head I would put a $5 note down now which says that those items of graffiti are


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