Page 4051 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 22 October 1991
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This may not be pertinent to the exact point of the censure motion, but I think it is pertinent to why the censure motion was brought. Perhaps the Minister in future should look to a genuine attempt to address any issues or any concerns raised by members in this Assembly on behalf of constituents who are concerned about the standard of debate. I think the Minister has said that he apologises if the matter was misunderstood. I truly do not believe it to be deliberate misrepresentation, although Mr Duby did not say that it was deliberate misrepresentation. Mr Connolly could have handled this position very easily. It is unfortunate that he did not. I do not believe that it warrants a censure motion or the passing of a censure motion.
DR KINLOCH (5.22): On one occasion in this house I deserved to be censured, and I regret that occasion. I thank the Chief Minister, Mrs Grassby and Mr Prowse, then the Speaker sitting where you are, Mr Deputy Speaker, for not treating me in that way. I thought they were being gentle and thoughtful at a time when I, frankly, had lost my cool and had done a stupid thing, for which I then apologised. I should not have done it. I regret it. I heard Mr Connolly make an apology in an earlier speech and I heard him, three times, make an apology in this latter speech.
I am not going to go into the details of the Estimates Committee. It seems to me that there is right on both sides. There is right on the point of view that Ms Maher and Mr Duby have put forward, and Mr Jensen as well. They can point to certain words that mean certain things, and it would seem from their point of view that a mistake has been made. Similarly, I hear Mr Connolly and I am recognising what he has to say.
I would like to turn finally to the ministerial statement from Mr Berry on Mental Health Week and I notice that it concludes:
It is a week for the entire community to consider a "gentler society".
I ask that we remove ourselves from this censure motion.
MR MOORE (5.24): Mr Deputy Speaker, in beginning my speech I will draw attention to the fact that, although I attended a great deal of the Estimates Committee, more than most members, on the particular Tuesday morning that these questions were raised I had been invited to the United States Information Service for a world network program on drugs, which I was delighted to attend. At that time I was not able to be there and, therefore, it is difficult for me to assess the tone that was present as far as answering questions goes. But I am in a much stronger position than Ms Maher and Mr Duby for the amount of time that I did attend while Mr Connolly was speaking and was questioned.
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