Page 1656 - Week 06 - Thursday, 13 August 1992
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
REFLECTIONS ON VOTES
Statement by Speaker
MADAM SPEAKER: Members, you may recall that this morning Mr Moore drew my attention to standing order 52 and asked that a comment made by Mr De Domenico relating to his vote in the Assembly be withdrawn. Following further points of order, I undertook to consider the matter and report back to the Assembly. Standing order 52 stipulates:
A Member may not reflect upon any vote of the Assembly, except upon a motion that such vote be rescinded.
The basis of this rule is that reflections not only would revive discussion upon questions already decided, but also are irregular inasmuch as every member can be considered to be included in and bound by a vote agreed to by a majority. I do not believe, however, that the rule should be interpreted in such a way as to prevent a reasonable expression of views on matters of public concern. Therefore, I cannot uphold the point of order raised by Mr Moore. Standing orders 54 to 57 deal with reflections on members, not standing order 52. So I will not call on Mr De Domenico to withdraw.
QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
Naval Communications Station
MR KAINE: I would like to direct a question to Mr Wood as Minister for Planning. We will move away from animal welfare for the moment, Mr Wood. I notice that yesterday one media outlet reported that the Navy's giant communications station located in Belconnen is to be relocated to a new site near Wagga. Can the Minister confirm that in fact a decision has been made on that matter that has been in abeyance, to my knowledge, for about 10 years? If so, when is it intended that the Navy will close its present site at Belconnen? What does the Government see that that land will be used for?
MR WOOD: Madam Speaker, I think that although we disagree about animal welfare we will all agree about this site. It is one that successive governments in the ACT have sought to reclaim for Canberra, for the use of the people in Canberra, and thus far efforts have not come up with a definitive date. I was intrigued with that announcement yesterday. It was the first I had heard of any response of that nature and I have had the department - - -
Mr Kaine: I thought you were going to confirm it.
MR WOOD: I am now seeking, through the department, to get a more definitive answer and one signed and sealed in writing, if I can. As to the use of it, I think there would be general agreement that it would be predominantly residential, but there are some areas of sensitivity in it that we would need to consider.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .