Page 4938 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 25 October 2011

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Minister and one from Ms Le Couteur. I want to bring to people’s attention some of the things that are said there.

In Ms Le Couteur’s submission, she speaks about the meeting that she had with the Chief Minister and, indeed, Ms Gallagher mentions that meeting as well. Ms Gallagher notes in her submission two contacts with the chair of the committee. As to the first she states:

When aware of the Chair’s concerns, I spoke with her directly and apologised.

Later in paragraph 46 she says:

Clearly the personal courtesy to clarify the intent of my actions with the Chair was not an attempt to influence the Committee. If anything it was a means of emphasising my concerns that the press release was misconstrued.

This is not the recollection of that meeting as submitted by Ms Le Couteur—

MR SPEAKER: Mr Smyth, one moment please. Stop the clocks, thank you. I am sorry to interrupt you, Mr Smyth, but I want to remind you of standing order 59 on anticipating discussion. I see at the moment that you are simply reflecting on what is in the submissions, and I just want to ask you to stay in that ground, please, so that we do not have to have any further discussion on the matter. That would be terrific.

MR SMYTH: That was entirely my purpose of speaking tonight, Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER: Thank you.

MR SMYTH: I would not recommend what the committee might do. I am sure they will get to all of this in their public hearings and their deliberations later.

If I may turn to Ms Le Couteur’s submission, this is clearly not the recollection of that meeting as submitted by Ms Le Couteur herself. Ms Le Couteur states:

My memory is that Ms Gallagher also stated that Dr Cooper was the Government’s nominee and that she (Dr Cooper) would be the new Auditor-General.

There is a fundamental and clear conflict between these two submissions and one that goes right to the heart of whether pressure was applied, which was the purpose of my bringing this matter to the Assembly in the first place. I look forward to the good work of the committee continuing.

Dragons Abreast regatta

Motorcycle Awareness Week

MR COE (Ginninderra) (5.43): I rise this evening to pay tribute to the hard work of the organisers of this year’s Dragons Abreast regatta that was held on Saturday, 22 October. I was very pleased to participate in this year’s events as part of the Curves Corsairs team. We all had a lot of fun on the day and at the practices in the lead-up to


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