Page 6183 - Week 19 - Tuesday, 17 December 1991
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MR CONNOLLY: It is clearly inappropriate for me, in answer to an Assembly question, to indicate how I may or may not interfere in litigation. The matter is sub judice.
Abortion
MR STEVENSON: My question is directed to the Minister for Health, Mr Berry. Would Mr Berry explain the Labor Party Government policy on abortion in the ACT, and will Mr Berry state whether or not secret or confidential discussions were held with representatives of certain women's groups and an agreement reached to establish free abortion clinics in the ACT after the February 1992 ACT election?
MR SPEAKER: Mr Berry, I believe that that question is out of order, but you may answer it if you wish.
MR BERRY: If it is out of order, I do not think I will answer it.
Members' Offices
DR KINLOCH: My question is addressed to you, Mr Speaker. In addressing it may I congratulate you on serving uninterruptedly throughout the life of this Assembly. Congratulations to you. There are some people here who will not be standing for election again and they, of course, will vacate their offices by 15 February. There are other people - and please do not all yell at me - who know that they will be re-elected and know that they will be here on 15 February and do not have to worry about it. Their staff will continue and so forth. But there is a third category, Mr Speaker, which is people who will be standing for election and, because of the vagaries of the d'Hondt system, will not know for six or seven weeks whether they have been elected or not. I understand the thing about two weeks after the election, but could you tell us what the situation will be for those people who will be in limbo?
MR SPEAKER: Dr Kinloch, I have passed out the information to members and, if it is vague, I apologise for that. The circumstance is that there are those who will be looking to every vote. As the days roll by, I will watch the poll very carefully, and I can assure you that those who are in this predicament will be given sufficient time to move out and there will not be any hasty decisions taken.
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