Page 1048 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 3 May 2022
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
of business today because I am very comfortable and confident with the advice I received from the Clerk, with the advice I received from the Electoral Commissioner and with the due diligence that I undertook in order to ensure that correspondence that I make with my electorate is done in accordance with the members’ Code of Conduct.
As the ACT Greens have always advocated—in this place and similar places—I am very comfortable with accountability and transparency for my decisions and for the decisions made of anybody else in this place. I would like to make a few assurances, though, to members present before the commissioner undertakes any inquiry. There were just a few mistruths in Ms Lawder’s presentation, the first of which being that there was absolutely no use of Assembly resources in the preparation of the particular correspondence to which—
Ms Lawder: On a point of order, Madam Speaker, it appears that Mr Davis has just accused me of mistruth which is, in effect, accusing me of lying. I ask him to withdraw.
MR DAVIS: Madam Speaker, I withdraw. I fear that perhaps my respected colleague and fellow member for Brindabella may not be aware of all of the facts of the matter as it pertains to correspondence that I engage in with my electorate. First of all, the letter was produced and paid for by the ACT Greens party. Second of all, it was distributed by volunteers of the ACT Greens Party, including myself. I have no shame, no guilt, nor embarrassment about the efforts that I have made to engage with my constituents, to use an opportunity to promote the federal Greens election candidates, to remind them that I serve in their name as a Greens member in this place, and to extend to my constituents the opportunity to contact me if they have any local issue that they wish to discuss, as is my responsibility as a local member.
This is not the first motion like this that we have seen from Ms Lawder in this relatively short Assembly term thus far. I am very comfortable with these motions being referred to the Commissioner of Standards and very comfortable with the Commissioner of Standards existing to do just that. But I stress that at all times I sought advice from the Clerk and from the Electoral Commissioner, that these letters were paid for and distributed by the ACT Greens and that I am not at all concerned that I took that opportunity to speak about the federal election and the Australian Greens candidates for the federal election. I also make sure that my constituents know who I am, what I do and how to contact me so that I can best serve them and support them and advocate for their interests in this Assembly.
I find it very troubling that this motion from Ms Lawder may seek to limit my capacity to do that. That would be very challenging from a fellow member for Brindabella indeed. So proud am I of having engaged in this correspondence and distributed it, I wonder if Ms Lawder saw it on my Facebook page, promoted by me. It was not like this was something I did in secret. It was not like this was something I wanted to hide from members of the opposition or from the community.
In fact, it was something I proudly promoted. I am proud to promote Kathryn Savery, the Greens candidate for Bean. I am proud to promote Dr Tjanara Goreng Goreng, the Greens candidate for the Senate. I am proud to work with them through the course of
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video