Page 4018 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 20 September 2011
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MR CORBELL: to give advance copies of statements to other members a minimum of two hours ahead of them being made. The same rule is not being applied to everyone else. Quite frankly, the government has had enough of it. Members need to reflect on the double standard they are imposing on themselves vis-a-vis the government, when it comes to statements being made in this place. It is as simple as that.
MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (11.07): Again, we have got the government being petulant, stamping its feet and saying, “We’ve had enough.” In fact, I would predict that the time taken to debate the suspension of standing orders would probably exceed the time that Mr Smyth would seek to speak in his statement. The statement made by Ms Le Couteur was a relatively brief one and I am presuming that Mr Smyth would be relatively brief as well. It has been the practice of this place for members to speak on committee matters. To not grant Mr Smyth leave today would be a substantial departure from practice.
As to the idea that the government are being put through hoops when they put an item on the blue and say that they are seeking leave to make a statement, the government have been put through hoops because the government have not been as good as their word. We have had recalcitrant ministers who have not provided statements. In fact, I understand today that Mr Corbell is going to make a statement soon after this. He has asked for leeway because of the importance of the matter. Everybody has agreed that the two-hour rule will not apply because it is an important matter. This is how we deal with things. We deal with things in a collegial way. Mr Corbell has made a case this morning that he was still working on the statement and could not meet the two-hour rule and, because of the importance of the matter, my understanding is that the shadow has said that that is fine on this occasion.
But there have been occasions when ministerial statements have been brought down without warning to members of the crossbench and the government and there have been occasions when ministerial statements and statements by ministers have departed substantially from the approved text—from the notified text, I should say—and that is why the government is being put through hoops, because so far the government has not shown that it is a team player.
Mr Smyth has asked for leave, which is not unusual, and it has always been granted in the past. But today Mr Corbell is tetchy. He is attempting to create a precedent because he is in a very bad mood today. That is not a good reason for creating a precedent. I thank Ms Le Couteur—
Members interjecting—
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Mr Hargreaves): Order!
MRS DUNNE: for her supportive comments and I look forward to standing orders being suspended.
Members interjecting—
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