Page 3360 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 18 September 1990
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elected to the Conservation, Heritage and Environment Committee. You would have seen that at the time they were all checking each other's votes, which left my vote to put Mrs Nolan on the Conservation, Heritage and Environment Committee. This caused Mr Berry to turn around and refer to me as a rat, and, of course, not being that familiar with ninja turtles, he probably was not exactly aware of the power of a rat.
Mr Duby: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: we have this rodent over here referring to someone on this side of the house as a rat.
MR SPEAKER: Mr Duby, that was not a point of order.
Mr Berry: Mr Speaker, I think it again indicates that some caution needs to be exercised by members in the dinner break on the evenings when there are evening sessions.
Mr Collaery: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: that, in anyone's terms, is imputation. What Mr Berry is implying to the gallery and to the discredit of self-government is that the Government members have been drinking during the dinner break. As leader of Government business in the house, I assure you that I have not had a drop of alcohol today.
Mr Berry: Just by way of personal explanation, I did not accuse Mr Collaery of drinking. What I was saying was meant to ensure that people exercise caution, whatever they might be consuming in their dinner break.
MR MOORE: Mr Speaker, I hope that in due time you will ask Mr Duby to withdraw that rodent comment. After all, it is he who has been rabbiting on with his comments.
I think that one of the most important things that we should focus on at the moment is the initial reaction of the Chief Minister last year, and that of many members who now sit on the Government benches, to the notion of an Estimates Committee. Originally when it was suggested by the then Chief Minister, Ms Follett, their reaction at the time was: do we need it? How important is it? In fact, Mr Kaine did not want to chair it, and he made it very clear that he did not want to chair that particular committee. Part of the reason, of course, was that he did not want to attend it very often. I remember that on the very first day of the Estimates Committee Mr Kaine arrived there late and absolutely fuming. We heard rumours from his office about the amount of fire that was flowing because things were not prepared, and he was not informed of what was going on because he had been perhaps down the coast or somewhere else. He had been on holidays in preparation for the Estimates Committee while the rest of us were preparing questions. So, it is ironic that the Chief Minister should now turn around - - -
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