Page 886 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 13 March 1991
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MRS NOLAN (4.11): I want to make a very brief statement in relation to this debate this afternoon. Frankly, I am amazed that Mr Moore has chosen to respond in the way that he has done to the motion passed in the Assembly yesterday.
I would like to make a brief statement in relation to the allegation of pressure made by Mr Moore about me. I did contact Mr Moore's office this morning by telephone. He was unavailable, but he did return my call and I, in fact, did ask him whether he would be responding to the motion of this Assembly of yesterday. His reply to me was that he might seek leave after question time. I did, in fact, indicate to him that leave would be available. I think I suggested at the time that perhaps it would be better that it be made after the ministerial statements. His reply to that was no; that if he decided to go ahead with the response it would be made after question time. In fact, I agreed with that, Mr Speaker. I do not consider that in any way that was pressure being put upon Mr Moore.
As I said, I am amazed that the response has taken the tack that it has this afternoon. I think it is really unfortunate that this Assembly and members of the gallery, members of the press and the public, have to put up with such an outrageous situation as has occurred.
MR HUMPHRIES (Minister for Health, Education and the Arts) (4.12): Mr Speaker, I will also add some words on this matter. When one makes allegations of the kind that Mr Moore has made there generally is an element of doubt introduced into people's minds. When one hears someone else accused of something one invariably wonders to oneself, "Well, could this be true under most circumstances?". In this case I am afraid that the manner and the nature of the way in which Mr Moore has made these allegations convinces me quite completely that they are false, quite apart from anything else that might be a basis for making such a decision.
Why was it necessary for Mr Moore to attack the Government comprehensively in the course of giving his answer? If Mr Moore felt that the facts he had to bring to our attention in this Assembly were such that they would genuinely raise and bring into open discussion and open light a matter of real concern to the administration of this Territory, then no doubt he would have done so without embellishment.
But he chose to do so in such a way as to round on all members of this Government, more or less; certainly on members of the ministry. He did it in such a way that I have to wonder why. The only conclusion I can come to is that Mr Moore felt he had little hard evidence of anything wrong and decided to add to that in the way in which he presented his case today.
I have to say that I am quite appalled by what Mr Moore has done. The saddest thing of all, Mr Speaker, is that these events are going to be widely reported. Mr Collaery's name
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