Page 202 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 10 December 2008

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milestones appear, and official openings are regarded as milestones along the way. We know, for example, that in 1998 the then Chief Minister or Treasurer—whatever he was; now Senator Humphries—actually allocated money so they could start thinking about the centre. But he also put—

Mrs Dunne: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. This question is about the opening of the Alexander Maconochie Centre. Mr Hargreaves’s references to funding in 1998 are not directly relevant to the question.

MR HARGREAVES: Mr Speaker, the whole issue is around the relevance of the date.

MR SPEAKER: Minister, please come to answering the question.

MR HARGREAVES: Absolutely. The thing was that those opposite, when in government, took three years and eight months, actually, to do a lot of talking about the prison. They had in fact put in what we call an off-budget provision to fund the building of it—

Mrs Dunne: Mr Speaker, on a point of order: this is not relevant to the question asked by Mr Hanson.

MR SPEAKER: Yes, minister, please come back to answering the question.

MR HARGREAVES: And the thing was that all of those things that they did were with fanfare—

Mr Seselja: He is ignoring your ruling, Mr Speaker.

Mrs Dunne: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: if Mr Hargreaves has a problem with your ruling, he should move a motion of dissent; otherwise, he should answer the question.

MR HARGREAVES: On the point of order, Mr Speaker: I cannot get four words out before the jack-in-the-box here takes up into the skies and asks you for another ruling. I would just ask her to wait until I have done five words, perhaps.

MR SPEAKER: Minister, it is not in order to call an opposition member a jack-in-the-box.

MR HARGREAVES: I withdraw the inference.

MR SPEAKER: And I ask you to come immediately to answering the question.

MR HARGREAVES: Okay, Mr Speaker.

Mr Barr: A jackass.

MR HARGREAVES: A jackass? No, I will not go there. Mr Speaker, the issue about the official opening of the prison is to indicate that it has got to a certain point where


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