Page 3640 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 26 August 2009

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press releases or in Canberra Liberal policy documents that support the minister’s assertion. The letter to NGSEC is not only false; it is malicious and reflects poorly on the minister personally and as a government minister.

The minister has made his own fanciful and false conclusions as to what my intent was and it does not excuse him from wilfully misrepresenting, in his official ministerial capacity, what I actually said. I would like to remind the Assembly that I have given the minister every opportunity to present evidence regarding what he has claimed I said, and failing that, to apologise for his actions and statements and also to write a retraction of the statements made by him to the Non-Government Schools Education Council, NGSEC. He has done none of these things. Through his continued wilful arrogance, he has once again demonstrated his lack of respect for this place and his role as a minister and, indeed, his contempt for the ministerial code of conduct that he is bound by.

The ministerial code of conduct is a document that all ministers have signed up to, and it is quite evident that the opposition and the crossbench observe this code of conduct but that the very people it is meant to apply to, including this minister, do not observe any parts of the code of conduct.

The opposition often refer to the ministerial code of conduct. We refer to this when debating issues in this place, as we are now, to remind ministers of the pledge they have made to this place and to remind them that they have a responsibility to the people of the ACT and to this Assembly. The code of conduct is about accountability, and it is about understanding that the Assembly elects a Chief Minister and that the executive is ultimately responsible to the people of the ACT through this place. It is about accountability and it is about respect—and I quote:

… how we will treat other Members of the Legislative Assembly, members of the public and other officials honestly and fairly, with proper regard for their personal dignity, rights, entitlements, duties and obligations, and should at all times act responsively in the performance of their public duties.

Government members interjecting—

Mrs Dunne: On a point of order Mr Speaker: this is a serious matter. A minister is subject to a censure motion, and you cannot actually hear the mover over the din from the government benches. I would like you to call them to order.

MR SPEAKER: Thank you, Mrs Dunne. Mr Doszpot, would you like to continue?

MR DOSZPOT: It is about respect—and I quote:

Once again, we need to remind the Chief Minister, who, again, is not here, about his statement and his commitment to the code of conduct when he introduced his amendments to the ministerial code of conduct in February 2004. The government at

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