Page 1337 - Week 07 - Thursday, 24 August 1989
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question was in order because it raised a matter which had been the subject of a debate in the Assembly the previous day.
Standing order 117 provides, inter alia, that questions shall not refer to debates that have taken place during that calendar year. In his introductory remarks Mr Wood made brief mention of the debate that had occurred the previous day and then proceeded to ask his question. I have considered the matter and I am satisfied that the question itself was in order.
Members are entitled to ask Ministers questions relating to public affairs with which the Minister is officially connected, to proceedings pending in the Assembly or to any matter of administration for which the Minister is responsible. Therefore, it would be quite common for questions over a period of sitting days or weeks to refer to issues of current interest which may have been considered by the Assembly in some way.
If a narrow interpretation of the standing order relating to references to debates were to be applied, it would unduly restrict the rights of members to ask questions relating to matters of current interest. I think that such an interpretation would be undesirable given the important role which question time plays in enabling members to seek information and to press for action.
I intend to apply the rule so that it does not preclude questions on the broad subject matter of debates, but rather so that it precludes a question which makes a direct reference to a debate or to specific statements made in a debate.
QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
ACT Budget
MR MOORE: My question is directed to the Chief Minister. Chief Minister, I wonder whether you can tell us what action your Government is going to take to ease the concerns of the many hundreds of people who demonstrated outside the chamber at lunchtime today.
MS FOLLETT: I thank Mr Moore for the question. Mr Speaker, I must say I did not attend the rally. I was not invited to attend the rally. It was my understanding that I would not have been required at the rally, to put it mildly.
Mr Kaine: That includes all of us.
MS FOLLETT: Yes, I think so. I presume that the rally concerned the subject of the draft budget which I have released for consultation. I repeat, as I often have done,
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