Page 3914 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 9 November 1994
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Mr Kaine is being put in somewhat of an invidious position. On the one hand, as chair of that committee, he has a function which I acknowledge he will perform admirably. On the other hand, his leader has her private members business before us today. I have no doubt that Mr Kaine, in a great display of solidarity, will stand up and support the procedures here this morning. I sympathise with him for having been tied in to do so, despite his protestations that he may not have been tied in. I think it is apparent to all of us, despite this feeble attempt at solidarity and Mrs Carnell saying, "Oh, I think I had better do something now", that there is a more appropriate way for this question to be dealt with. I believe that it is appropriate for this Assembly to say no to this matter being progressed today, to acknowledge that the review of the existing separate service legislation is the function of a committee of this Assembly. If Mrs Carnell wishes to have the specificity of her Bill considered within the framework of the separate service legislation, her most appropriate course of action - in fact, a courageous act on the part of one of her colleagues - would be to move a motion this morning to refer it to Mr Kaine's committee. That would allow it to be properly debated and well thought out.
Mrs Carnell: I choose for it to be debated here.
MR LAMONT: My reply is very simple. I will respond to the interjection, Mr Deputy Speaker. I would suggest to you that it is appropriate, because of the range of conflicting views and the plethora of documentation that has been produced out of this committee, that parliament, from this expert and from that expert, for this matter to be debated, discussed and further investigated through the most appropriate mechanism available to us in the Assembly, and that is through the Assembly's committee. I do so recognising that at the end of the day there may not be all that much that will separate the particular views of the make-up of this Assembly. There very well may not be. If it is proposed today that we debate this issue clause by clause, page by page, we will be here for the next nine days.
Mrs Carnell: That is fine.
MR LAMONT: I hear Mrs Carnell say, "That is fine".
Mrs Carnell: It is my Bill. I choose for it to be debated.
MR LAMONT: You can choose to do so - - -
Mr De Domenico: It is the same principle that Mr Berry put.
MR LAMONT: Mr De Domenico, if you want to go outside and continue your yapping, I suggest that you do so. We are getting on with the business of the Assembly.
Mr De Domenico: Let us debate the Bill, Mr Lamont. Let us get on with the business.
MR LAMONT: I do not believe that this matter can be done justice to in the time that is allowed to us, Mr De Domenico. We have private members business for two hours today. We have akin to an hour and 40 minutes left. We have three more sitting weeks. That gives us another six hours. I do not believe in terms - - -
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