Page 912 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 20 March 2012
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The other three recommendations were noted; we will look with interest to see how the government carries out the noting and at the comments that they have made there. I thank the government for the response.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Interjections during question time
Statement by Assistant Speaker
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Mr Hargreaves): Before we proceed to further papers I wish to advise the chamber that in the period from the beginning of question time to the conclusion of questions after the question time period there were a series of interjections from folks. I have advised Ms Porter, the government whip, of these figures, and I intend to now advise the chamber—and thus, through the chamber, the government, the opposition whip and the crossbench whip. There were 151 interjections from the opposition during the question time period, there were 14 interjections from the government side during the question time period, and there were none from the crossbench.
Mr Hanson: Shame.
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Mr Hanson interjects, saying, “Shame.” He should consider that, because he was responsible for 67 of the 151 interjections during the question time period. Mr Smyth was responsible for 32, Mr Coe was responsible for 20, Mr Doszpot 16, Mrs Dunne six and Mr Seselja 10. From the government’s side, the Chief Minister five, Mr Barr three, Mr Corbell four, and myself two—to prove that I am not doing this out of out of anything else. I advise that, of the 165 interjections, 151 of them were from the opposition. That sort of behaviour will not be tolerated while I am in this seat.
Mr Hanson, resume your seat. Resume your seat, please, Mr Hanson. I will give you the call when I am concluded.
I wish to advise the chamber of that merely to give people in the chamber an idea of the colour of the way things have occurred in the last question time. What has happened is not unusual, and I do not think that this chamber need accept that sort of behaviour. This is an advisory for the chamber and nothing more than that.
Mr Hanson, did you have a point of order? Please feel free.
Mr Hanson: Mr Assistant Speaker, yes, I do have some concerns with the statement that you have just made because, obviously, the Speaker adjudicates throughout question time.
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Indeed.
Mr Hanson: The commentary that you have just been providing—obviously suggesting that question time is unruly, that there are too many interjections—I think
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