Page 4014 - Week 15 - Wednesday, 16 December 1992
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Mr Humphries: No, it is not.
MR WOOD: Mr Humphries shakes his head and says, "No, it is not". When he got to his feet he lost his argument by default. Very early in the piece I interjected and said, "What did you do as Minister?". He said, "I will tell you".
Ms Follett: But he did not.
MR WOOD: Thank you, Chief Minister. He did not. He carefully avoided the issue, and why would he not avoid it? As the Chief Minister demonstrated in her speech by producing a document, and by the clear record of 18 months of administration, more than anything else, Mr Humphries, if there is any guilt, is as culpable as anybody else. In fact, he is more culpable than anybody else because he did not do anything.
Mr Kaine: It was not brought to his attention. It was brought to the Minister's attention.
MR WOOD: You were not here. You were not here, Mr Leader of the Opposition.
Mr Humphries: Madam Speaker, I ask that that be withdrawn. That is a very serious allegation - that I took no action on a serious matter to do with HIV notification. I ask that it be withdrawn.
MR WOOD: Madam Speaker, I am not going to argue the toss; I will withdraw it.
Mr Humphries: It clearly shows the facts. Read the minute.
MADAM SPEAKER: Thank you, Mr Humphries. Thank you, Mr Wood.
MR WOOD: It says, "Please discuss". Mr Humphries, this was in March 1991. You were Minister until June 1991 - - -
Mr Humphries: April 1991. Look at the bottom of the page.
MR WOOD: You signed it in April 1991. All right. I was looking at the date it came through. It takes you a while to get through your mail, I see. What discussion happened? You did not do anything. The regulations were not changed. You sat on it.
Mr Humphries: I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. It has been held in the past that to suggest that a Minister failed to act in circumstances where it clearly was incumbent on him to do so is an unparliamentary comment to make. Mr Berry himself has taken that point of order in the past. Mr Wood is wrong to suggest that no action followed from that. It might have been that no action followed on the floor of this Assembly in the little over one month between then and when that Government lost office; but I ask that that be withdrawn, Madam Speaker.
MADAM SPEAKER: Thank you, Mr Humphries, for bringing up that point of order. Mr Wood, I think you were given guidance as to how you should amend your wording.
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