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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 14 Hansard (12 December) . . Page.. 4813 ..

MR SPEAKER: It is going to be a very short answer, then, Mr Osborne, is it not?

Mr Moore: No, it is quite within order, Mr Speaker. You listen to Mr Osborne's answer and you will see.

MR OSBORNE: Thank you, Mr Speaker, and thank you, Mr Moore, for that very intelligent question. How very astute of you to notice that I do have two items of business on the notice paper. I thank you for following up on my work there.

Mr Moore: You have to be careful not to anticipate discussion.

MR OSBORNE: I will be very careful not to anticipate, too.

Mr Moore: We know that the Speaker is concerned about this.

MR OSBORNE: Very concerned. The first one, Mr Moore, reflects my concern that Mr De Domenico is being too hasty in cutting back school bus services, and I also felt that he was being a little bit too secretive in this matter. Without being guilty of - - -

Mr Kaine: I take a point of order, Mr Speaker. Is Mr Osborne not already debating the issue?

MR SPEAKER: Indeed. I uphold the point of order.

MR OSBORNE: I will explain why I used the word "secretive", Mr Speaker - - -

MR SPEAKER: No, I am sorry; you are debating. You must not anticipate discussion or debate.

MR OSBORNE: No, no. I am just explaining to Mr Moore why I had to go to the trouble of placing this issue on the notice paper.

Mr Moore: That is not debating the issue.

Mr Kaine: Yes, it is.

MR OSBORNE: I am just explaining why I had to put it on the notice paper. That is all, Mr Speaker. I do not lie. You know that.

MR SPEAKER: You are going to have to tread very carefully here, Mr Osborne.

MR OSBORNE: I always do. The reason why I have had a problem with this school bus issue, Mr Moore, is that the Minister's office will not even afford me the courtesy of telling me who is on the school bus liaison committee which is advising him on this matter. That is why I had to place it on the notice paper, Mr Moore. The second item of business, Mr Speaker, concerns the quality and level of education that our schoolchildren have on illicit drug use - I know that that is a topic that is very close to your heart, Mr Moore - and also excess alcohol and tobacco products in the community.

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