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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 2 Hansard (27 February) . . Page.. 326 ..

Ms McRae: Mr Speaker, with the greatest of respect, the question was in relation to the Commonwealth response to the Grants Commission report.

MRS CARNELL: No, it was what would happen if the Commonwealth accepted - - -

Mr Berry: That is right. That is hypothetical.

Ms McRae: Exactly. Hypothetical. "What would happen if ..." is a hypothetical question. It is out of order, Mr Speaker.

MRS CARNELL: It is on paper.

Mr Kaine: I would like to speak to that point of order, Mr Speaker. My question is far from hypothetical. You will recall that in my preamble to my question I noted that the Commonwealth has invariably accepted the Grants Commission's recommendations. It is not hypothetical at all. There is no doubt whatsoever that when the Commonwealth announces, as it will shortly, the amount of general purpose funding for the Territory - - -

MR SPEAKER: Order! I will not allow questions relating purely to Federal matters, but I will allow this question. It concerns the ACT.

Mr Kaine: I am still speaking to the point of order that Ms McRae raised.

Mr Berry: I take a point of order, Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER: Sit down, Mr Berry. Continue, Mr Kaine.

Mr Kaine: Thank you. I thought I had the floor and that I was speaking to Ms McRae's point of order.

MR SPEAKER: Continue.

Mr Kaine: I again make the point that it is not by any means hypothetical. There is no doubt that when the Commonwealth announces, as it will shortly, the funding to come to the Territory next year, it will be absolutely and irrevocably based on this recommendation. So it is not a hypothetical question at all, and I want to know - - -

Ms McRae: Based, as it will be. Come on! That is a future test.

MR SPEAKER: Order!

Mr Kaine: You raised the point of order, Ms McRae. You do not like anybody else talking about it, however. I wish to know from the Chief Minister and Treasurer what the implications of that reduction in Commonwealth funding are for the people of this Territory. I think they want to know, too, even if Ms McRae does not.

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