Page 4452 - Week 14 - Thursday, 1 December 1994
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Mr Moore: I take a point of order, Madam Speaker. Perhaps this Minister should reflect on people who are dying with AIDS and take his ribbon off.
MR CONNOLLY: Madam Speaker, let me say once again that Ms Ellis and I were down there with the AIDS Action Council today. I am quite proud of what I have done in that area.
Mrs Carnell: What did they actually say to you?
MR CONNOLLY: What they actually said, Mrs Carnell, publicly and on film, was, "This is a Minister and this is a Government in Australia that has shown an amazing level of cooperation and understanding for the people suffering from AIDS". What the president of the AIDS Action Council said - - -
Mr Moore: Go on; lie. What did he say about this bit of legislation?
MADAM SPEAKER: Order!
Ms Follett: On a point of order, Madam Speaker: The increasingly hysterical and strident interjections by Mrs Carnell and Mr Moore are an absolute disgrace to this house. I believe that they are both totally out of order. If you were to move to name them, you would certainly have the support of this side of the house.
Mr Moore: Go on; say what Matthew Gillett told you about this legislation.
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Moore, you can ask another question. Just calm down a bit.
MR CONNOLLY: Madam Speaker, the president of the AIDS Action Council said publicly, in front of cameras and in front of reporters, that he was proud to live in the ACT, with a Government that has such a track record on the AIDS issue. Mr Moore says, "And what did Mr Gillett say about this legislation?". He put out a press release saying that they support serious research into cannabis. He did not say that he supports the Moore Bill. He said to me today, "We are not going to enter into that debate, because we know what happened".
Mr Moore: You liar!
MR CONNOLLY: I am not going to get into this grubby process. I am not going to play politics with the AIDS Action Council in the way Mr Moore has done. I am not going to come in here and say grubby things. Mr Moore's hand has overreached his grasp again. He has overplayed his hand on this issue. He has made a fool of himself, nationally and internationally, on this issue. It is regrettable. As I warned him yesterday, this course of action could put the cause of cannabis law reform back years, and that is exactly what he has done.
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