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Mr Berry: You churlish person! It was never under threat then.

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, I heard Ms McRae in almost silence.

MR SPEAKER: Order! Ms McRae was heard in silence. I suggest that members extend the same courtesy to Mr Humphries.

Mr Wood: This is nonsense.

MR SPEAKER: If you want to get up and make a contribution, Mr Wood, I suggest that you do it in a formal fashion.

Mr Wood: I will make a contribution on this tactic of the Liberals. That is what I will make a contribution about.

MR SPEAKER: Order!

Mr Kaine: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: I heard you remind a member of the Opposition earlier that, if they wanted to address the Speaker, they should do so on their feet. You might remind the member now that that is the requirement of the standing orders.

MR SPEAKER: Yes. Nothing has changed since the last Assembly.

Mr Wood: A lot has changed since the last Assembly.

MR SPEAKER: I suggest that, if you wish to make a comment, you stand, Mr Wood. Nothing has changed in that respect since the last Assembly.

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, I think that we have to ask why what Ms McRae has proposed was not done before. If she felt that bringing people into this place was so important, and given that we were spending tens of thousands of dollars a year on running those Tuesday night sittings, why were we not spending the money at that stage to advertise the fact that these things were going on? We have trialled - to use that expression - the Tuesday night sittings for six years. Some of us have sat through two whole Assemblies with that arrangement. The overpowering impression that I had privately from people during that time - with the exception of Ms Follett, who has always supported this concept - was that Tuesday night sittings have been a waste of time.

There have been isolated debates which have had quite large attendances by members of the public. The abortion debate particularly springs to mind. But let me point out that the abortion debate has come up on a number of occasions, and I can recall that in the latter half of last year we had a large attendance by members of the pro-life community in this place on the Tuesday night when we were discussing Mr Berry's abortion Bill.

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