Page 1871 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 19 August 1992
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MR WOOD: No, I did not; but it was always open to me, and I knew that; and I would never reject the proposal that I do that. The further point to note is that in that first period of government I remember Mr Collaery and, I believe, Mr Kaine - although I would want to check on that - criticising our then Chief Minister and proposing to vote against her because they said that there was inadequate opportunity for debate under her administration. I went through this volume and then I went back to our debates and found that the Liberal Opposition, in those days, and the Residents Rally - maybe Mr Moore apart - really had not used the MPI for debate. That pattern has continued under this Follett Government. You do not raise an issue for days. I think Mr Connolly has added up the times in the last couple of months when you have not had any interest in MPIs.
Ms Follett: Three in 24 days.
MR WOOD: Is that the number? Thank you. I know that when we were in opposition there was hardly a day - there were some - when we did not raise an MPI. Now we have this nonsense about MPIs and denying rights. You are simply wrong.
The second part to comment upon is behaviour; that was separate. If you have an argument about processes, if you have complaints, there are proper ways of dealing with them. The manner in which it was done today was grossly improper.
Matters of Public Importance
MR MOORE (5.46): Madam Speaker, in his speech, Mr Humphries - - -
Mr Humphries: That is what you did; why should we not do it?
MADAM SPEAKER: Order! Mr Moore has the floor.
MR MOORE: Mr Humphries raised the issue that in this matter there was shame on the Independents for conniving with the Government. I presume that he was speaking, in particular, about two issues: First of all, conniving about Mr Kaine being removed from the house; and, secondly, conniving about the standing orders.
Madam Speaker, if there could be construed to be any conniving at all, as far as I was involved, it was with the Liberal Party. I did not speak on either of these matters to a single member of the Labor Party. But, on the matter of the MPI being raised by a member of the Government, I spoke to a number of Liberal members who were sounding me out. I think Mr De Domenico was one of them. I am prepared to discuss it. You can construe that as conniving. In this particular instance, perchance, I had not spoken to a single member of the Labor Party about either of those issues. I made my decision - - -
Mr Humphries: So?
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