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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 6 Hansard (17 June) . . Page.. 1599 ..

MR SPEAKER: Actually, there is no question whatsoever before the house at this point.

Ms McRae: That is right; so I am taking a point of order. I ask for your direction as to why we are getting Mr Humphries answering questions when it is not question time.

MR SPEAKER: There is no question before the house. Mr Berry has simply invited the Chief Minister to bring it on.

Mrs Carnell: Move, so that we can find out why.

Mr Humphries: Tell us why you want to do it.

Mr Berry: No; you can just jump up - - -

MR SPEAKER: Order, Mr Berry! All that the Chief Minister is seeking to know is your reason for doing it.

MR BERRY (10.33): Okay. If the Chief Minister does not want to seek leave immediately, I move:

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent Mrs Carnell (Chief Minister) from moving a motion concerning the Bringing them home report forthwith.

I rang Mr Humphries's office this morning and said that we would like to bring this on earlier because we were concerned that this important motion - - -

Mr Humphries: Three minutes ago.

Ms McRae: So what? It was better than two seconds ago.

MR SPEAKER: Order! Mr Berry, continue.

MR BERRY: I informed his office that we were concerned that this important motion was buried in the business of the house and we thought it would be better considered as a priority for the Assembly. Mr Humphries then being well informed as to our position, I chose then to request the Chief Minister to seek leave immediately to bring the motion on immediately; but it seems that the Chief Minister would wish rather to resist that proposition.

Mr Humphries: No; she wants to know why.

MR BERRY: Mr Speaker, if Mrs Carnell wanted to know why, I would have thought that Mr Humphries would have informed her immediately after I called his office, which was about 15 minutes before the commencement of the sitting. I called his office and told them that we were concerned that this motion was not being given the priority

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