Page 2036 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 15 May 2013

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MADAM SPEAKER: Yes, Mr Corbell.

Mr Corbell: Madam Speaker, my understanding of the standing orders—I seek your guidance on this—is that if a question is asked of a minister, the supplementary is to the same minister. Obviously if another minister chooses to answer the question, that is allowed for under the standing orders, but not the approach that has been adopted by Mrs Jones.

MADAM SPEAKER: My understanding of the standing orders is that the first supplementary question is to the receiver of the original question. There has been a bit of back and forth over the last few days in this place where other people have taken it, so that might have led to the misunderstanding. The supplementary question should be directed to the Chief Minister in this case, because that is where you addressed your original question, Mrs Jones. Mrs Jones, would you like to direct your supplementary question to the Chief Minister?

MRS JONES: I would. Chief Minister, what is the difference in funding between the old national schools SPP for the ACT and the new national education reform?

MS GALLAGHER: That is subject to the current negotiations, but it is additional money. But as I have indicated a number of times in this place and in public, it is not a large increase on the money that is already flowing to the ACT. I cannot give you the final figure because we have not agreed to it yet.

Mr Hanson: What is on the table at the moment?

MS GALLAGHER: I think that could jeopardise negotiations. The commonwealth has issued a statement, I think in the paper, that it is an additional $100 million. That was published in the Canberra Times. We are currently in negotiations with the commonwealth.

Mr Coe: Point of order.

MADAM SPEAKER: Point of order , Mr Coe.

Mr Coe: Madam Speaker, on your ruling earlier, I draw your attention to 113(b) of the standing orders. How does that apply to the original minister?

MADAM SPEAKER: Because it is a supplementary that arises out of the original question, and the question is directed to a particular person. It has been the form and practice of this place that you cannot just say, “Now I’ll ask a supplementary somewhere else.” There was some chopping and changing with some questions asked on, I think, problem gambling last week where various ministers answered two questions each, from recollection. But my understanding, and I see the Clerk is nodding, is that the form and practice are that the supplementary question is a question that arises out of the answer from the original questionee. Therefore the supplementary should be addressed to the original questionee.

MS PORTER: A supplementary.


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