Page 3106 - Week 14 - Thursday, 7 December 1989
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A motion for the adjournment of the Assembly may be moved only by a Minister. An amendment may not be moved to this motion.
MR SPEAKER: This is a special adjournment. Please proceed, Mr Whalan.
MR WHALAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. That is yet another example of attempts by the people over there to deny rights to members on this side of the chamber.
Mr Speaker, the evidence of our willingness to allow frank and open debate is contained in the Hansard, where you will see that we provided numerous occasions for the members of the then opposition to raise private members' business virtually at will. We frequently gave leave for special private members' motions to be raised in the Assembly, and that was as part of our recognition of our position as a minority government. It is a reality. Now what, of course, has changed is that we have seen by a process of bribery a majority stitched up.
MR SPEAKER: Order! I request you to withdraw those comments, Mr Whalan.
MR WHALAN: I withdraw. Thank you, Mr Speaker. It was a moment of passion. Now that we have seen stitched together this gang of 10, we can see that the Liberal coalition will constantly apply the gag. Mr Collaery has already threatened it. He said, "We will apply the gag at every opportunity", and this is - - -
Mr Collaery: On a point of order, Mr Speaker; I claim to have been misrepresented.
Mr Whalan: On a point of order, Mr Speaker, if he claims to have been misrepresented, he has to wait till the end of the discussion.
MR SPEAKER: He has not got that out yet, Mr Whalan.
Mr Whalan: Yes, he has. I heard him.
Mr Collaery: The former Minister, the never-to-be-Minister, just said to me, Mr Speaker, across the floor a number of words which clearly did not reflect the Hansard - - -
Mr Whalan: On a point of order - - -
MR SPEAKER: Order! I can deal with one point of order at a time. Please resume your chair, Mr Whalan. You get to your point, please, Mr Collaery.
Mr Collaery: Mr Whalan indicated that we would move from this side of the house a gag at any time.
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