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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 7 Hansard (19 June) . . Page.. 1855 ..

Opposition members interjected.

MR SPEAKER: Order! Mr Humphries has the floor.

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Berry made a comment yesterday in question time about Mrs Carnell. I believe that, in the question that he asked as a supplementary question of Mrs Carnell, he made an allegation which is of the kind referred to in the motion which has now been circulated on the floor of this place. He made a comment of the kind which has now been referred to in that motion. He made a misleading comment. He misled the house.

Mr Berry: When?

MR HUMPHRIES: In the question you asked yesterday in this place of Mrs Carnell. I do not yet have the Hansard for yesterday, and it is therefore more difficult to be able to deal with this matter comprehensively this morning than it would be this afternoon. However, if Mr Berry wants to deal with it this morning, I am sure that he will accept the tenor of what he asked Mrs Carnell yesterday afternoon and will not need to wait for the Hansard to be produced so that the information is available.

The third matter, which Mr Kaine raised, is the question of the taking up of private members business time. Members are usually very jealous about using that time for other things, and I think it would have been only fair to allow that time to be taken up by private members business. However, I repeat that the Government is more than willing to deal with the censure motion here and now. As members can see, I have circulated that motion.

Question resolved in the affirmative, with the concurrence of an absolute majority.

MR HUMPHRIES (Attorney-General) (10.48): I move:

That this House censure Mr Berry for misleading it as to the number of operations conducted in ACT public hospitals between November 1993 and March 1994.

Mr Berry has been, in this place, what I think could be described as something of a paragon of righteousness when it comes to censure motions. There is probably no man who has moved more censure motions - - -

MR SPEAKER: Order! It has been pointed out to me that Mr Berry moved that so much of the standing orders be suspended as would allow Mrs Carnell to move the censure motion.

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