Page 868 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 24 February 2009
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The opposition takes this line of questioning and asserts that the Chief Minister must apologise to a group of people who are allegedly hurt by the government’s efforts in this area to help them into home ownership, in stark contrast to the position of those opposite, but then refuses even the basic courtesy of providing some of that information so as to enable the Chief Minister to contact the people that are allegedly so concerned.
We have had the allegation in a series of questions today in question time. For those of us who have been in this place for a little while, it has echoes of Mrs Burke and Mr Pratt, who used to come into this place with lots of fictitious examples and were never actually able to table any evidence in support of their particular assertions.
The challenge for Mr Coe and for the Leader of the Opposition is to come clean on this one. You have run your entire question strategy on this, guys, so you will want to have some evidence to back it up. Bring it forward. Let’s see it.
MS BRESNAN (Brindabella) (2.59): I agree that the opposition need to back up these claims when they make these allegations. But, to be fair, Mr Coe’s question was not stating that people had personally come to his office, and I do not think it is appropriate to be asking for people’s personal details to be tabled here in the Assembly. I would suggest that perhaps Mr Coe and Mr Stanhope could have a conversation about this and those details could be provided in a private manner, rather than here in the Assembly, if that is what is warranted.
Mr Stanhope: I would like to respond to that, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: You have already spoken, Mr Stanhope.
Mr Stanhope: I propose to amend the motion as suggested by Ms Bresnan.
Mrs Dunne: We are suspending standing orders at this stage.
MR HARGREAVES (Brindabella—Minister for Disability and Housing, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Corrections) (2.59): On the question of a suspension of standing orders, in my time here, following on from what Mr Barr was just saying, I have heard so many times members from that side say, “All these people kept coming to my office. People are always ringing me up and people are always coming to my office and telling me these things.” That was the constant carping from the former shadow minister that Mr Coe has succeeded.
Mrs Dunne: I raise a point of order on relevance, Mr Speaker. This is about whether or not the standing orders should be suspended. It does not matter what a former shadow minister, who is no longer a member of this place, may have said once. It is about whether or not we should suspend standing orders today.
MR SPEAKER: Mrs Dunne, I think we cannot take the point of order. It has been a fairly free ranging conversation so far. Mr Hargreaves, at least stick to the issue of the land rent scheme and the suspension of standing orders, please.
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