Page 1116 - Week 04 - Thursday, 29 March 1990
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MR HUMPHRIES (Minister for Health, Education and the Arts) (3.59): Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise to support Mr Stevenson's motion but to oppose Mr Berry's amendment. The fact is, we are working at the present time to the sitting pattern that was laid out by the previous Government before it left office.
Mr Wood: Previous parliament.
MR HUMPHRIES: All right, the previous parliament - whatever. The parliament under the previous Government agreed to a certain sitting pattern. That pattern required that we would not sit on Anzac Day. That was the proposal put up by Mr Whalan; we would not sit on Anzac Day.
Mrs Grassby: Nobody sits on Anzac Day.
MR HUMPHRIES: Fair enough. We are not going to sit on Anzac Day. It was agreed we would not be doing that. Now, effectively, members of the Opposition are asking us to make up for that day by sitting for extra hours on other days.
Mr Moore: Just for private members' business.
Mrs Grassby: No, we are not. We are saying let us sit through the two hours.
MR HUMPHRIES: Yes, you are. You are asking for - - -
Mr Berry: Mr Stevenson wants the private members' sittings.
MR HUMPHRIES: I think that is reasonable but you are asking to make extra time available. We are going to be flogging ourselves silly on the Tuesday of that week in order to achieve - - -
Mrs Grassby: You are joking. You have not been working.
MR HUMPHRIES: Look, Mrs Grassby - - -
MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, members! Let him have a go.
MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Deputy Speaker, it is quite obvious that members opposite want to completely clog up the Tuesday before Anzac Day by putting on two hours of extra sittings which would not normally be agreed to, despite the fact that they agreed themselves that they would lose that day when they were in Government. Now, Anzac Day has gone. The only issue is what we use the other agreed hours on the other days for. That is the issue. Mr Stevenson has proposed that we use part of that time for private members' business. That is a reasonable proposal - - -
Mrs Grassby: Gary, just say you do not want to work; that is all you have got to say.
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