Page 764 - Week 03 - Thursday, 22 March 1990
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the subject of this motion. The only defence that he has relied upon is personal insult. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the firm of Civil & Civic; it has nothing whatsoever to do with Mrs Grassby. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the Tuggeranong swimming pool even. What the nub of this motion has to do with is an allegation that the Attorney-General, the chief law officer of the ACT, has lied to this Assembly. That is the allegation and that is how serious this matter is.
The fact is that the issue before this Assembly has got nothing whatsoever to do with the red herrings that the people opposite have sought to pursue in an effort to divert attention from this serious allegation - a scandalous situation that the Attorney-General should lie to this Assembly. I might add that this has got nothing to do with ministerial responsibility. I took the trouble to read some of the debate which occurred the last time that a censure motion was moved in this Assembly in relation to myself. That motion was moved by Mr Jensen, and on that occasion the present Attorney-General and chief law officer of the ACT spoke at some length about ministerial responsibility. That was about the accountability of Ministers for the decisions or actions of the public servants who are responsible to them, and that is quite an important principle in the Westminster system, but this particular allegation, that Mr Collaery lied to this Assembly, has nothing to do with ministerial responsibility.
MR SPEAKER: Order, Mr Whalan. I bring to your attention standing order 275, which refers the Assembly to the House of Representatives Practice in a situation where standing orders do not cover issues before the house. I will read to you page 469 of the House of Representatives Practice:
When an amendment has been moved, and the question on the amendment proposed by the Chair, any Member speaking subsequently is considered to be speaking to both the original question and the amendment and cannot speak again to the original question after the amendment has been disposed of.
MR WHALAN: The question of ministerial responsibility is not at issue on this occasion. There are no words or actions on the part of a public servant that this Attorney, this chief law officer of the ACT, can hide behind. The words on which he hangs are the words which came from his own mouth in this chamber. That is the indictment of this man, the Attorney-General. That is the proof that he lied and misled this Assembly. I take you, Mr Speaker, to the Hansard of 20 March at page 16, when Mr Collaery was answering the question from Ms Maher about the issue of the Northbourne Flats. Quite clearly it is there in black in white.
Mr Collaery: What?
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