Page 2222 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 9 May 2012

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Mr Smyth interjecting—

Roads—Northbourne Avenue

MR SPEAKER: Further questions without notice. Ms Le Couteur.

Members interjecting—

MR SPEAKER: Order! Ms Le Couteur has the call. Mr Smyth, please.

Mr Smyth interjecting

MR SPEAKER: Order! Mr Smyth, I am trying to give the floor to Ms Le Couteur. You are warned for repeatedly interjecting.

Mr Hanson: Mr Speaker, just on your warning there, there was a debate that was being engaged in between Mr Smyth and Ms Gallagher across the chamber, but you chose only to warn and address Mr Smyth and not Ms Gallagher. I would ask you to rule with consistency. If you are going to warn members of the opposition for engaging in exactly the same conversation that Ms Gallagher was having, it would be consistent to also warn her.

MR SPEAKER: Thank you for your free feedback, Mr Hanson. What was clear was that Mr Smyth had interjected probably half a dozen times while the Chief Minister was attempting to answer the question. That is the basis on which I drew out Mr Smyth and not specifically the Chief Minister. If the Chief Minister continues to interject, she will get similar feedback. But given that Mr Smyth had already interjected half a dozen times, he was somewhat ahead of her, on my discretion.

Mr Seselja: Just on your ruling, Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER: Yes, Mr Seselja. There is no ruling. I am giving feedback to Mr Hanson.

Mr Seselja: Then a point of order in relation to it. It is the same as yesterday, when we had Mr Hargreaves and nothing was said until we raised it. Again you have now said that you will deal with Ms Gallagher if she continues. But you made no mention of Ms Gallagher as she was consistently interjecting. You have mentioned Mr Smyth several times. It seems that you are applying a different standard to the opposition from what you are applying to the government at the moment. We just ask you to clarify why that seems to consistently be the case right now.

Mr Hanson interjecting—

MR SPEAKER: Just as I explained to you yesterday, Mr Seselja, and it does not seem an overly complex concept, in the course of the last four minutes, Mr Smyth interjected half a dozen times. I asked for an end to it. I then tried to give Ms Le Couteur the floor. There was some going back and forth with the Chief


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