Page 774 - Week 05 - Thursday, 6 July 1989
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investigated at the time by the National Crime Authority included matters that should concern her as Chief Minister and her appointment of a Minister for housing.
Mrs Grassby: Tell us what you want to know about it.
MR COLLAERY: The Minister chose to respond to that question and has not addressed that issue; the Minister obviously indicates that she would like to respond to it and she will have the opportunity when I sit down. She can respond to the transfer of the funds from Griffith to discharge that mortgage, if she wishes.
Mrs Grassby: I can tell you that, definitely.
MR COLLAERY: I warn her, also as a lawyer, that she is not obliged to answer the question, otherwise the proceedings might be taken down, but the problem is that the proceedings cannot be used in evidence. The real thing here is to flush the Rally onto the record so that those matters can no longer be used in evidence, because we all know that privilege applies to things said here. The fact is that the Rally will not be fooled into going too far on a few issues because protection applies and it can really seriously impede any usual inquiries.
The fact is that we have in Canberra a Rally of Canberra citizens who do not wish to be professional politicians. I said that my colleague Mr Moore is dedicated to teaching; my colleague Mr Jensen is dedicated to studies and matters that he wishes to pursue, having finished 20 honourable years serving this country including service in Vietnam; and my dear friend - - -
Mr Whalan: I rise to make the same point of order, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: Stick to the point, Mr Collaery.
MR COLLAERY: The motion is that the standing orders be suspended. They have been suspended and the Rally has not cavilled at speaking to the issue of ministerial and public service impropriety. The fact is that the word "impropriety" has been coined by the drafters of this motion. It has not been used by the Rally. The Rally has no intention of being flushed into criticising the vast number of honest and hardworking public servants of this Administration. The Rally is on record time after time as saying that the vast majority of public servants in this Territory are honest and hard working. They do certainly suffer the problems associated with - - -
Mrs Grassby: This is unbelievable.
MR COLLAERY: Associated with being part of and somehow inexplicably unable to dissociate themselves from some of those in their midst. I was reading the other night - - -
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