Page 700 - Week 03 - Thursday, 21 May 1992
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Mr De Domenico: As long as he does not sing, Madam Speaker.
MR MOORE: No singing this time. The provisions here provide time but do not preclude extra time. We are no worse off; all we are doing is setting aside a time. I think that that should allay the fears. That is what it says. It allows it. Proposed new standing order 77(e) provides that:
at the time precedence to Assembly business expires any Member may move that the time allotted to Assembly business be extended by 30 minutes and each motion shall be put forthwith without amendment or debate;
So, there is your extra 30 minutes, to start off with. But there is still nothing in the standing orders that prevents us from raising some of these issues at other times. Even if there were, there is nothing to prevent us from moving for a suspension of standing orders to allow that, if we have a particular issue. So, it is still under the control of the Assembly. I cannot understand why you are having any difficulty with it at all.
MR KAINE (Leader of the Opposition): Madam Speaker, I seek leave to make a statement on this truncated debate as well.
Leave granted.
MR KAINE: Madam Speaker, I think the very fact that members of the Assembly have to seek leave to speak on a debate that was cut off too early is indicative of the whole problem.
Mr Berry: You were too slow to get to your feet. You were asleep.
MR KAINE: I was not asleep. Mr Lamont jumped the gun and closed the debate. I think that is unacceptable. He closed debate on a matter that clearly has not been debated through.
Mr Moore: That is why we are giving you leave.
MR KAINE: Mr Moore obviously does not understand what is going on. He made the point that, from here on, to do any of the things mentioned in this report other than on Thursday mornings is going to require a suspension of standing orders.
Mr Moore: That is not what I said at all.
MR KAINE: You just said it. The fact is, Madam Speaker, that we seem to be modelling ourselves without any justification having been put forward. Nobody has said that what we have done for the past three years is unsatisfactory or unacceptable, or that it makes the place difficult to work. Did I hear anybody say that? Of course nobody said that. The Americans have a good statement: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". Why are we doing this? Mr Lamont did not explain why. Mr Lamont simply said, "It would be a good thing to do this on Thursday mornings". Well, I am not convinced that trying to compress all this business into Thursday mornings is a good thing.
Madam Speaker, I know, because I have spoken to you about it, that you agree with me that in this chamber we should be seeking to take a different course from what applies across the lake. Everything that happens over there is not
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