Page 1950 - Week 07 - Thursday, 31 May 1990
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MR HUMPHRIES: Yes, but not on this occasion, Mrs Grassby.
We saw, Mr Speaker, four questions asked by the Government despite the fact that the Government parties hold 10 seats of the 17 seats in the Assembly. Despite that fact the opposition had 12 questions - - -
Ms Follett: No, we did not.
MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker was counting them. If you think he is wrong, Ms Follett, then I suggest you - - -
Ms Follett: I think he is wrong; I think he has made a genuine error.
Mrs Grassby: He is counting supplementary questions. They are not questions.
MR HUMPHRIES: All right. Let us assume for argument's sake that it was only 11 questions. Let us just take Ms Follett's position. There were 11 questions from the whole Assembly. Seven therefore came from the opposition and four from the Government parties, despite the fact that the Government parties have 10 members in the chamber and the opposition all together, including Mr Moore and Mr Stevenson, have only seven seats. Under any Westminster system, that is a disproportionate number of questions from the opposition. You have no right to complain about the treatment you are getting at the hands of this Speaker. Mr Speaker, I think, with great respect, that suggestions that you are not doing your job properly are totally false and you are certainly entitled to take action against people who make those sorts of claims.
The reality is that you on the opposition benches have had more than fair treatment. You have had plenty of questions over every question time since this Government came into office, and what is more, the answers to questions have been considerably shorter. The questions that I have known - - -
Mrs Grassby: Not yours. They went on and on like ministerial statements.
MR HUMPHRIES: You have not let me finish, Mrs Grassby.
Mrs Grassby: No, I will not, because that is a lie.
MR SPEAKER: Order, Mrs Grassby!
MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, the questions asked in this chamber are being answered in a shorter fashion than those being answered in the Federal Parliament, and I worked there for a while. It is certainly the case that the answers that we give here are shorter than those. I suggest that some of the members opposite go and wander up the hill one day and just hear what goes on there and see how long the answers to questions are there.
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