Page 5433 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 16 November 2011
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about what the Greens’ legislation actually proposes and actually, in a way, slur the RSPCA because they supported the Greens’ legislation. I do not believe we will at any time hear Mr Seselja apologising for that particular bit of information.
Mr Hanson: Mr Assistant Speaker, a point of order. The amended motion reads:
That this Assembly censure Simon Corbell for persistently misleading the Assembly and community about funding of the RSPCA and other matters.
I just cannot see how it is relevant to be talking about comments that Mr Seselja has made about puppies and the Greens. It is completely irrelevant to the debate. This debate on the motion and amendment is entirely about Mr Corbell and his misleading with regard to the RSPCA and other matters, not to do with Mr Seselja.
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Thank you very much, Mr Hanson. In fact, your amendment merely says that after the words “the RSPCA”, add “and other matters”. The chair has allowed a very wide interpretation of that, going forward.
Mr Seselja interjecting—
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Mr Seselja, you are warned.
I would also say now, in addressing Mr Hanson’s point of order, that the debate so far has gone to the truthfulness of people in the public arena in terms of understandings of people misleading the public and putting out information which, in the opinion of others, has not been true and has been misleading. We have had numerous examples of how that has occurred and I believe Ms Bresnan is quite entitled to put the case for yet another one—thank you very much to Mr Hanson’s amendment. Ms Bresnan, you have the floor.
MS BRESNAN: I will wrap up. I think it is somewhat ironic that we are having this discussion today. It is about that point—about how members conduct themselves and about how we refer to community organisations. The example I have been giving is a perfect example of where a member here is prepared to get up and give out information which is plainly not true, to do that on a number of occasions and also effectively slur a community organisation who supported that legislation.
The point I was going to make is that I do not expect at any time we will have an apology from Mr Seselja on that particular information that he has been stating publicly and I do not believe we will probably have him making an apology to the RSPCA for their supporting that legislation. I imagine that that is not something we will see at all. I think it is worth making that point. It is ironic, as I said, that today we are talking about the RSPCA. Here is an example where the RSPCA has been potentially slurred by Mr Seselja. We will not be getting an apology for that, I imagine.
MR BARR (Molonglo—Deputy Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Education and Training and Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation) (4.47): We now are well into the second hour of this debate. We have
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