Page 699 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 5 July 1989
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provocative beyond what good commonsense dictates as likely to engender harmony and productive debate in this chamber. Let this Assembly set the standard for Australian parliamentary debate. Let us aspire to lift ourselves above the ridicule levelled by the public at other parliaments and debates therein. Earlier today Mr Berry was not placed in the sin bin. The majority of members of this Assembly were. Again I implore you.
PERSONAL EXPLANATIONS
MRS GRASSBY: Mr Speaker, I would like to make a personal explanation. Before I make that explanation I would also like to publicly apologise to Mr and Mrs Cameron for the statement that was made this morning. I am really very sorry about that, but there are certain things that this explanation will make clear. Although there is never any reason for a thing to be done like that, maybe the people will understand what pressure it was made under.
At question time yesterday Mr Collaery asked a question in relation to the discharge of a loan he alleged was given to one of the Chief Minister's ministerial colleagues. In today's Canberra Times Mr Collaery has been quoted as saying outside the house that the "low interest housing loan had been made to the Minister for Housing and Urban Services, Mrs Ellnor Grassby, or to her husband, Mr Al Grassby, a former Whitlam Government Minister and later Commissioner for Community Relations". Because no doubt Mr Collaery will continue to raise such innuendos in his normal style, I wish to set the record straight. I have never had a loan from the Commissioner for Housing, or from this government or any other government in Australia or outside Australia.
The allegation possibly relates to a loan obtained by my husband, Mr Al Grassby, in 1973 and discharged in 1976. This is a matter of public record and I table for the member's information an answer to a question on notice tabled in the Senate by the then Minister for Territories on 11 February 1975. The matter was also raised and debated in the then ACT Legislative Assembly in late 1975. I table a letter from Mr Bryant to the President of the Assembly dated 22 September 1975. I understand that Mr Grills, the then Commissioner for Housing, was requested to produce and did produce documents in 1987 to the National Crime Authority relating to Mr Grassby's mortgage.
The nicest thing that happened to me today was that Mr Kaine walked across the floor when we came in and apologised for what had gone on in the newspapers today, and he was quite a gentleman. I thank him very much for that and it is obviously why he is the Leader of the Opposition. Thank you, Mr Kaine.
MR WHALAN: Mr Speaker, yesterday Mr Collaery - - -
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