Page 3828 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 16 October 1991
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
DR KINLOCH (3.04): Mr Speaker, I will speak very delicately on this. This morning I was saying that I had not had a chance to speak. But that was not to do with the motion to prevent the earlier debate; it was because we did not have a chance to debate whether or not we would come back to talk about Mr Humphries' motion at 3 o'clock or 5 o'clock or whenever. There was no discussion of that. So, I am wondering now why yet another piece of new business is being put up when that business is still not concluded. I would just like to ask: Why cannot we now continue on Mr Humphries' motion?
MR MOORE (3.05): Mr Speaker, I understand why the Government would like to bring this on quickly, and my explanation may assist Dr Kinloch by answering his question. Once a member has moved disallowance, thanks to legislation put up by Mr Connolly, I think, last year, the onus is on the Government to ensure that such a motion of disallowance is debated and resolved; otherwise the matter just becomes disallowed if nothing is done about it. So, I understand why Mr Berry would want to bring that motion on.
To bring it on with less than half an hour's notice to me, though, is entirely inadequate. I would be absolutely delighted to debate this matter tomorrow. I accept that Mr Berry would like to be able to assure the tobacco industry that it can have its advertising go ahead. I am sure Mr Berry would like to be in a position to let the cricket board know that it can go ahead and plan or, as the case may be, not plan its sporting event, so that it knows where it is. Since it is the Prime Minister's XI that would be playing at that time, I am sure he would like to let the Prime Minister know that this sporting event can either go ahead or not go ahead.
Whilst I would be delighted to debate this matter tomorrow, and I think that is a quite appropriate way to deal with it, it is entirely inappropriate to give us half an hour's preparation.
Mr Berry: If you had said that you did not want to do it, Michael, I would have said okay.
MR MOORE: I can indicate to the house that I would be quite prepared to deal with the matter tomorrow, at whatever time the Government sees fit. To clarify a point that Mr Berry is raising in an interjection, Mr Speaker - that, had I said to him half an hour ago that I objected, he would have taken that into account - the fact is that I did not say that. He did say to me, "Well, we are going to bring that on this afternoon". I must say that, first of all, I did not realise that he meant at 3 o'clock and, secondly, I was working on something else for this afternoon and I did not give a great deal of thought to it at that point. Therefore, in this respect, I apologise to Mr Berry; but, rather than suspend standing orders, I ask that we deal with it tomorrow.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .