Page 588 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 20 March 1990
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to Mr Kaine as being the great deceiver, but it is clear from his subsequent remarks that he was referring to me. I know that you are evenhanded, Mr Speaker, so would you mind asking him to withdraw that terribly offensive remark?
MR SPEAKER: Order! Thank you, Mr Whalan. I would request Mr Duby to clarify the point. I thought he was speaking of the person whom you met on the hustings somewhere. If Mr Duby was referring to Mr Whalan, I ask him to please withdraw it.
MR DUBY: I can assure you that I was referring to Mr Whalan. There is no question about that.
MR SPEAKER: Would you please withdraw that comment then, Mr Duby.
MR DUBY: I withdraw it, I am sorry. Given the various things that we hear from Mr Whalan, I thought he would delight in that title. But, as I said, it was very reassuring to see that Mr Kaine knows his responsibilities; he knows where his duties lie. He has been working hard for the members of the Canberra electorate, not fiddling around assisting people in other electorates. He is doing what he gets paid for, he is doing what he is supposed to be doing. He is working hard for the people of Canberra, unlike this motley rag-tag crew on the other side who apparently do not bother coming to work unless the house is sitting.
MS FOLLETT (Leader of the Opposition) (5.33): I have to correct the statements made by Mr Duby and Mr Kaine. The fact of the matter is that I was in my office on the first floor of this building for the full day on Thursday and for the full day on Friday, and I have to inform the Assembly that I am not aware of any approach whatsoever from any member of the Government to see me on either of those days. So the statements that have been repeatedly made by members opposite are absolutely and categorically untrue.
Mr Speaker, what did happen, was that Mr Berry was assigned the duty of consulting with the members of the Government on the order of business that was proposed for this week, and the only information that Mr Berry was able to elicit from the Government members, was exactly as has been stated by Mr Berry and Mr Wood. It was a statement of what they proposed and there was at no time any debate on those matters. In fact, when we queried one or two of the items that were proposed, we did not elicit any further information whatsoever. That is the fact. We were told what would be undertaken.
Mr Speaker, you will also be aware that I wrote to you this morning concerning the matter of the Assembly not sitting this evening. As you know, I regard it as a very important time for the Assembly to sit because it affords most working people their only opportunity of actually visiting this Assembly and seeing it in operation.
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