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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 10 Hansard (4 September) . . Page.. 3067 ..

Mr Humphries: Read the Hansard. Mr Speaker, it was because Mrs Carnell had misquoted him in a release. He has just read back the phrase that Mrs Carnell had attempted to quote and, lo and behold, Mrs Carnell had quoted the words exactly. Where is the misrepresentation?

MR BERRY: Mr Speaker, I made it clear that this is a misrepresentation of the fact. The fact is that, from the lambasting that was handed out by the Liberals during question time, the house would have been misled. I am trying to put the record straight.

MR SPEAKER: You were backgrounding your personal explanation - or, rather, you were backgrounding that comment - with what happened with a constituent. Is that correct, Mr Berry?

MR BERRY: Indeed. Mr Speaker, the record has to be put right in these circumstances, because if Mrs Carnell wants to use question time to issue a barrage - - -

MR SPEAKER: We are getting away from the personal explanation here.

MR BERRY: I am talking about the point of order.

MR SPEAKER: You were explaining - - -

MR BERRY: No; I am talking to the point of order, Mr Speaker. I think I am entitled to put the record straight. Mr Speaker, this was a press release, pointing out to the people of the ACT that a ward in the hospital had been closed secretly for 15 weeks and that a woman had been prevented from having delivery procedures by that ward being closed. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr De Domenico: Mr Speaker, on a point of order: If Mr Berry wants to debate the issue, he should do so; but he is way out of bounds in saying that he has been misrepresented. He should not waste everybody else's time, but should just own up to his mistakes.

MR SPEAKER: We are not debating the issue now.

Mr Whitecross: Mr Speaker, on Mr De Domenico's point of order: They like dishing it out; but they do not like getting it back when it turns out that, while they are accusing Mr Berry of misrepresenting things, he catches them misrepresenting things. The point of the personal explanation, Mr Speaker, is to demonstrate that they misrepresented things. What Mr Berry has done is demonstrate that Mrs Carnell misrepresented what Mr Berry said. Mr Berry is perfectly entitled to do it, and Mr De Domenico should not waste people's time with silly points of order.

MR SPEAKER: I will simply remind members of the statement that I made at the beginning - - -

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