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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 13 Hansard (4 December) . . Page.. 4371 ..

MR KAINE (continuing):

If Mr Osborne can make that statement in my connection, he can make it in respect of any other member of this Assembly, and it stands unrefuted on the public record. I think it is unwise. It is certainly offensive to me.

Mr Osborne: On a point of order, Mr Speaker, under standing order 47: Perhaps I was misunderstood. I would like to explain that I certainly did not direct that slur to anyone other than Mr Humphries and Mr De Domenico.

MR KAINE: That is not what you said. You said "this untrustworthy lot over here", as though you meant it to be about all of us.

Mr Osborne: I am explaining it now, Mr Kaine. I certainly withdraw the words "that untrustworthy lot over here" and I will redirect it to mistrusting Mr De Domenico and Mr Humphries.

MR SPEAKER: We have investigated this matter in relation to Mr Humphries and Mr De Domenico. Time will tell, Mr Osborne, and you may be asked at some time to apologise.

MR KAINE: In connection with Mr Osborne's point of order, I presume, from what he said, that he withdraws any assertion that I am untrustworthy.

Mr Osborne: I certainly do, Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER: Thank you.

MR DE DOMENICO (Minister for Urban Services): Mr Speaker, under standing order 46, I would like also to offer a personal explanation. Mr Osborne did look across - - -

Mr Osborne: I am not withdrawing it on you, Tony.

MR DE DOMENICO: We will see what you will do. They say that you are a big man because you played rugby. We will see what you do here. Mr Speaker, Mr Osborne did suggest - and he just reiterated it - that Mr Humphries and I, in particular, are untrustworthy.

Mr Osborne: On this issue.

MR DE DOMENICO: Can I suggest on this issue, Mr Osborne, that it has been the domain of Ministers for Industrial Relations since the year dot to allow, by regulation, trading hours in every jurisdiction in this country. We will continue to do it in the same manner as every other previous Minister - Labor, Liberal or Callithumpian - in this Territory has done it. For you to suggest that Mr Humphries or I or anybody else in this Assembly is untrustworthy because of your opinion, I think you ought to withdraw that. We might think the same of you, but perhaps we are not inclined to be as unparliamentary and as uncourteous as you may wish to be.

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