Page 4205 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 26 November 2013

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MADAM SPEAKER: Order Mr Hanson! Minister Burch has the floor.

MS BURCH: Again, your interjections tell more about the slimy man you are.

MADAM SPEAKER: Minister Burch, sit down! Minister Burch, I handle the order in this place. It is not for you to do that. Your job at the moment is to answer questions and, if you do not have an answer, to sit down.

Mr Hanson: Madam Speaker, on a point of order, I appreciate that the minister is under a bit of pressure on this one, but I think she was a tad unparliamentary and I ask that she withdraw.

MS BURCH: I am happy to withdraw the word “slimy”.

MADAM SPEAKER: Questions without notice.

Mr Smyth: Sorry, is the minister going to finish answering the question? She has not even answered the question yet.

MADAM SPEAKER: Have you finished answering the question, Minister Burch?

Mr Hanson: She evaded the question.

MS BURCH: With your baiting, it is very easy to evade the question.

MADAM SPEAKER: Minister Burch!

MS BURCH: I do apologise, Madam Speaker.

MADAM SPEAKER: Minister Burch, your job is to answer the questions and my job is to keep order. Your job is not to draw other members’ attention to what you consider is inappropriate order in the place. There is a reasonable amount of free flow here. I tend to call people to order when there is what I consider to be too much interjection. Your practice has been, if anyone interjects while you speak, to point it out to people. I do not know that that is necessarily appropriate. That is my job. So if we can all keep our own jobs, I think we would work a lot better here. Questions without notice.

Dr Bourke: Madam Speaker, a point of order.

Mr Smyth: Can we stop the clock for a moment, please? There is a point of order, Madam Speaker.

MADAM SPEAKER: I am sorry; there are points of order going on. Let us stop the clock. A point of order, Dr Bourke.

Dr Bourke: Madam Speaker, just reflecting on your previous comments about order in the house, what is your opinion about the level of mocking that the Leader of the


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