Page 599 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 22 February 2012
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where he came in, in the most cowardly way, and attacked volunteer members of the community.
Go to the Tuggeranong Community Council website—the organisation has been around since 1983—and see what it says. It says that it is a council and it is non-political. We have heard some outrageous allegations from Mr Hargreaves that somehow this was a politicised organisation. He has got absolutely no evidence or proof of that and they are outrageous comments that are a slur on those community members. He is too cowardly to come out here and present any evidence, because there is none. It is a peak organisation of members—a wide range of residents—from the Tuggeranong valley.
Mr Hargreaves: A point of order, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, one moment. Stop the clock, thank you.
Mr Hargreaves: Sorry about that, Mr Hanson. Your guidance, Mr Speaker: Mr Hanson just said that I was too cowardly to do something. I wonder if that is parliamentary.
MR SPEAKER: I believe the practice of this place is that it is not, so I would invite you to withdraw that, Mr Hanson, and rephrase the comment you wish to make.
MR HANSON: On the point of order, I have regularly heard the terms “cowardly” and “cowards chamber” used. I think that it is regularly used as a form of expression about people who are prepared to say one thing in this place but not outside. Saying that somebody is behaving in a cowardly fashion is not something that has been called on to be withdrawn before.
MR SPEAKER: I can show you the list where it is on.
MR HANSON: Is it in there?
MR SPEAKER: Yes, it is on the list.
MR HANSON: All right. If it is, Mr Speaker, I withdraw.
MR SPEAKER: Thank you. I think there is a difference between describing the Assembly as a cowards castle, as has been suggested sometimes recently, and ascribing it to an individual. I think that is the distinction.
MR HANSON: I am happy to withdraw it. I will say that it was a shameful act and I think that Mr Hargreaves has behaved shamefully.
The community council’s members are drawn from permanent residents of Tuggeranong. They are elected by the community, they are members of the community and they represent the community. And we are not just talking about one individual here; this was directed at all the members of the community council.
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