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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 5 Hansard (15 May) . . Page.. 1545 ..

MR SPEAKER: I do wish you would make up your mind. You either want me to rule it out of order - - -

MR MOORE: To make it easy for you, Mr Speaker, the import of my comment was not that money went directly into Mr Berry's personal pocket.

MR SPEAKER: Thank you, Mr Moore.

MR MOORE: Mr Speaker, allow me to read from the Crimes (Offences against the Government) Act 1989. Section 15 says:

(1) A member of the Legislative Assembly who asks for, receives or obtains, or offers or agrees to ask for, receive or obtain, any property or benefit of any kind for himself or herself or for any other person, on an understanding that the performance by the member of his or her duty, or the exercise by the member of his or her authority, as such a member will, in any manner, be influenced or affected, is guilty of an offence punishable, on conviction, by imprisonment for a period not exceeding 2 years.

(2) A person who, in order to -

(a) influence or affect a member of the Legislative Assembly in the performance of his or her duty, or the exercise of his or her authority, as such a member; or

(b) induce a member of the Legislative Assembly to absent himself or herself from the Legislative Assembly or any committee of the Legislative Assembly;

gives or confers, or promises or offers to give or confer, any property or benefit of any kind to or on the member or any other person is guilty of an offence punishable, on conviction, by imprisonment for a period not exceeding 2 years.

I quote that to point out that it is a serious issue when we are talking about - - -

Mr Berry: Clearly, Mr Speaker, Mr Moore is trying to impute that I am on the take from somebody. He should be ordered to withdraw that.

MR SPEAKER: We are all aware of standing orders. If there are to be any such suggestions, then there will have to be a substantive motion under standing order 117(d), as we all know.

Mr Berry: I do not get anything from them, not a thing.

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