Page 189 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 15 February 2012

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MR SPEAKER: Mr Hargreaves, thank you. I invite you to withdraw that, Mr Hargreaves.

MR HARGREAVES: I withdraw what I said about Mrs Dunne today. Mr Speaker, this issue is about an episode that happened in the parliamentary triangle, an episode involving a private citizen, and the only involvement of anybody from the ACT Legislative Assembly was to respond to a phone call. That has been made crystal clear in this chamber.

Opposition members interjecting—

MR HARGREAVES: Those opposite, muttering away like the chattering classes that they are, say: “We need to know this. We need to know. The community’s got the right to know.” The community has got the right to know about all of those questions that were asked in this place yesterday, and we look forward to the answers tomorrow, because I believe that what we are going to see over the next little while is such a furore about their behaviour that they need to create a whole series of smokescreens. And this is just a smokescreen. It is nothing more than that. These guys have been sprung. They got it wrong. It was not the Labor Party, it was not this side of the house, that threw the first name across the chamber in the debate yesterday. It was not. It was those opposite.

Mr Coe: Point of order, Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER: One moment, Mr Hargreaves. Stop the clocks. Mr Coe on a point of order.

Mr Coe: I have a couple of issues. I wonder whether he is relevant and also whether he is reflecting on a vote.

MR HARGREAVES: On the point of order, Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER: Yes, Mr Hargreaves.

MR HARGREAVES: I am responding to an accusation that came across the chamber about the putting of names in the chamber.

Mrs Dunne: On the point of order, it would be disorderly to respond to an interjection, Mr Speaker.

MR HARGREAVES: Mr Speaker, I vouch for Mrs Dunne’s experience on disorderly conduct in this chamber. She is a far better practitioner of disorder in the chamber than I could ever be.

MR SPEAKER: Mrs Dunne, I apologise for my “unspeakerly” behaviour in laughing at your point of order. I was just somewhat amused.


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