Page 3162 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 12 September 1990
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that I referred a letter to the Assembly after the Leader of the Opposition made some allegations about the matter in this Assembly. Although the matter was before her committee, the Leader of the Opposition proceeded to take points on this domestic refuge violence issue. When I tabled a letter to respond to those allegations, the Leader of the Opposition took the point that there had been a breach of privilege. Well, Mr Speaker, she cannot have it both ways. In my view, there is absolutely no breach of privilege involved. This is the freedom of speech of this Assembly which is paramount. But I accept that our procedures should be clarified, and therefore those parts of the Leader of the Opposition's proposition this afternoon would be supported. She only needs to put that to the Administration and Procedures Committee. One asks why it was necessary for her to make this grandstanding statement this afternoon. It is merely a political ploy and I would remind the house that we have recently seen Ms Follett as chairman of that committee making a number of public comments about another committee.
We really cannot have this holier-than-thou approach, Mr Speaker. We will not see the Administration and Procedures Committee used as a vehicle for a personal attack upon a Minister in the Government. We are quite happy to facilitate examination of these procedural issues. We will oppose this motion because it is framed around an attempt to continue the nasty debate about Ms Follett's failure to find funds for a domestic violence refuge.
MR CONNOLLY (3.52): Mr Speaker, this afternoon we are seeing a very serious attack on the proper principles by which a parliament should consider a breach of parliamentary privilege. When this letter was tabled, Ms Follett as Leader of the Opposition and also chair of the committee - and we should see her actions not as Leader of the Opposition but as chair of the committee - quite properly immediately referred the matter to you as Speaker.
This may amuse members of the Government because they have clearly made a decision that they will just gag and ram through and oppose any matter raised by the Opposition and treat this as a partisan political matter. That is a very sad indictment on the members of the Alliance and a very sad precedent to set for this chamber. Members, particularly members of minority parties, ought to think very seriously and very long and hard before they adopt a partisan attitude on these things because time will be, and very soon, when they are sitting on this side of the house and they will expect us as a government to take these matters seriously.
As I said, when this matter was brought to Ms Follett's attention by the tabling of the letter by Mr Collaery, she immediately brought it to your attention, Mr Speaker, because parliamentary practice is clear on the proper role of a member. This came out in a debate when an allegation of breach of privilege was raised against Mr Moore. When a
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