Page 551 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 24 February 2010
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
expected to present themselves to a committee of inquiry, a privileges committee, to be subjected to cross-examination by their accuser. That is just unheralded, and it abandons and abrogates any sense of fairness or fair play or natural justice or procedural fairness that a person, Mrs Dunne, can stand up, make allegations, accuse a person of certain behaviours, move to the establishment of an inquiry into that behaviour and then adjudicate.
Mrs Dunne thinks that that is fair, that that is right, that that is appropriate. The Liberal Party support her in that view—that it is right and appropriate for her to adjudicate over an allegation that she laid. Could anybody have any confidence, let alone the accused, in the integrity of that process? Absolutely not. I find it remarkable that the Liberal Party believe that that is appropriate behaviour.
MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (10.17): It is interesting how things change when it does not suit the government because the man who called the last privileges committee that this Assembly faced called it a kangaroo court. He said it was a witch-hunt. He said, “This is just politics.” But after that man, Minister Corbell, had said that, the government put Minister Corbell on that committee.
Mr Stanhope: A point of order, Mr Speaker: Mr Corbell did not lay the allegations or actually move for the establishment of that privileges committee.
Mrs Dunne: That is a debating point, Mr Speaker, it is not a point of order.
Mr Seselja: He can’t debate it. He’s had his go.
Mr Stanhope: No, the statement was false.
Mr Seselja: You’ve had your go. Sit down.
MR SPEAKER: Mr Stanhope, what is the point of order?
Mr Stanhope: The point of order is that Mr Smyth has just falsely alleged that Mr Corbell moved for the creation of the last privileges committee. That is simply false.
MR SPEAKER: Mr Smyth, I do not think I heard you say that Mr Corbell moved for the establishment —
Mr Seselja: No, he didn’t.
Mr Stanhope: Yes, he did.
Mr Seselja: No, he didn’t.
Mr Stanhope: Yes, he did, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: There is no point of order. Mr Smyth, you have the floor.
MR SMYTH: Look, I know—
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video