Page 2948 - Week 10 - Thursday, 16 August 1990
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
That was Paul Whalan speaking on 26 April this year. And where were the catcalls of derision? Where were the interjections when Mr Whalan was saying these things? The answer is that there were none. This is a farce and I reject it.
MR STEVENSON (11.43): Mr Speaker, I believe the tactic of changing motions by amendment to alter their intent so as to make them unrecognisable is an attack on parliamentary democracy. It may seem - - -
Mr Humphries: Whitlam did it. Whitlam did it in 1975. Gough Whitlam pioneered it.
MR STEVENSON: The fact that Whitlam, or anybody else, started it would not carry any weight with me regarding an attack on parliamentary democracy. I agree it has happened before in this Assembly and every time I see it it will remind me of the fact that people with numbers in the Assembly can do things that are simply not okay. It is a prevention of freedom of speech. It is a prevention of the right of parliamentary members in this Assembly or any other to debate issues. The fact that in this case, as has been done before, the censure motion was brought on by Mr Wood and then changed by Mr Collaery of the Alliance is something that we should strongly condemn.
I speak strongly against the amendment and I would recommend that all members in this Assembly, firstly, vote against it and, secondly, before they attempt to do it again because they happen to control the numbers, think what they are doing and think of its import with regard to parliamentary freedom of speech.
Mr Berry: I was going to raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. It seems as though the Government has got both of its amendments wrong and it has used the word "deception" again.
MR SPEAKER: Order! I have ruled that that is a general term to a general body and it is not directed at anyone in particular in this house.
Mr Berry: I raise a further point of order, Mr Speaker. In the past you have ruled that those sorts of unparliamentary terms used in respect of a group of members in this house are unacceptable and I - - -
MR SPEAKER: My interpretation is that it is directed outside this chamber and therefore I allow it to proceed. I call Mr Stefaniak.
Mr Stefaniak: Mrs Grassby was on her feet. I am quite happy to let her go and then I will go.
MR SPEAKER: Make up your minds. I call Mrs Grassby.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .