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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 12 Hansard (20 November) . . Page.. 3893 ..

MR SPEAKER: That is correct. I do not uphold Ms Follett's point of order for that reason. This is a matter of a personal nature - that Mr De Domenico is going to close down this cafe. Mr De Domenico is explaining why he personally is not closing it down - or, at least, that is what I assume he is doing.

MR DE DOMENICO: Yes. The bottom line is that it is not mine to close down, so I will not. It is the Woden - - -

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

MR DE DOMENICO: Mr Speaker, do I have the floor, or - - -

Mr Berry: I take a point of order. Mr Humphries pointed to me and said that I had said certain things about Mr De Domenico. You said that was correct, I am afraid, Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER: It was Ms Reilly, I think, who asked the question about the Dillybag Cafe. I would like to correct that.

MR DE DOMENICO: Mr Speaker, really, the facts of the matter are that the - - -

Ms Follett: On the point of order, Mr Speaker: May I ask you a - - -

MR SPEAKER: Oh, dear me; we are going on today, are we not? Come on, what is it?

Ms Follett: No; this is an important point, Mr Speaker. The Minister, as Minister for Urban Services, is responsible for government property. He is surely making an explanation in his capacity as Minister for Urban Services. It is not a personal matter.

MR SPEAKER: I am sorry. We are so precious in this chamber that I am not prepared to accept that. The comment was made that Mr De Domenico did so, not the Minister for Urban Services. If we are going to become precious, then I will be quite as precious as everybody else. There is no point of order.

MR DE DOMENICO: The bottom line, Mr Speaker, is that it is not mine to close down, for a start. The Woden Community Service wrote a letter to the Department of Urban Services saying, "We no longer wish to renew our lease". We went back to them and said, "Listen, are you sure you do not wish to renew your lease, because we would love to have you here?". They said, "No, thank you". It is not the department that is closing it down, and certainly it is not me who is closing it down. It is a wonderful cafe. I wish they would come back and reconsider, in fact.

MS REILLY: Mr Speaker, I want to make a personal explanation under standing order 46.

MR SPEAKER: Yes.

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