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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 6 Hansard (18 June) . . Page.. 1766 ..

Mr Whitecross: Tell us about your multiple backflips on 4.00 am closing.

MR SPEAKER: Would you kindly be quiet, Mr Whitecross. Mr Humphries has the floor and you have been chattering all day, whether you have been on your feet or not.

MR HUMPHRIES: I do not propose to combine with those opposite to corrupt one of the important elements of the Hare-Clark system, which is that the public of the ACT, the people in the gallery, and perhaps after the passage of the Bill Mr Moore has put before the Assembly today those listening on the radio or watching on TV, need to be able to see what members are doing on the floor of the Assembly. Question time is the most important performance venue for members of this place. To deprive large numbers of them of the chance to be able to appear before their constituents is a most unfortunate development, and I certainly will not be part of it. This is about posturing and posing, manipulating the way in which parliament operates, to achieve a certain result. If the Labor Party is having internal problems at the moment, that is not the concern of this parliament. They should deal with those problems as they see fit. They can get another acting teacher for Mr Whitecross if they want to. That is the way to deal with that problem. They should not come in here and try to manipulate question time.

Practices on the hill are not relevant to what goes on here. We know that at question time on the hill there is limited time for questions. There is one hour for questions. They do not have the practice we have here of every member being entitled to ask a question. We have a different practice in this place. Every member being entitled to ask a question means every member who is present, not every member who wants to give up his or her right in order to make sure that a lacklustre Leader of the Opposition has some chance to shine.

Those opposite say they want to have a chance to put forward some shining light in the Opposition, presumably to show how good they perform in question time. If today's question time was any indication, why would we cooperate to generate more of that kind of claptrap on the floor of this place? It was one of the most abysmal question times I have ever seen in this place. They were pitifully weak questions. Why should we provide more of that?

MS McRAE (3.49): Mr Speaker, I move the following amendment, which I have circulated in my name:

After "standing order 113A" insert "after consideration of the issue by the Standing Committee on Administration and Procedure and the Assembly's resolution of any question in relation to a motion moved on presentation of that Committee's report on the subject,".

I have never before heard such a level of concern from the crossbenches and the Government for the profile of their Opposition. It is very touching that they are more concerned about our electoral chances than their own. Here we have Ms Tucker worried about my future, Mr Berry's future, Mr Corbell's future and Mr Whitecross's future. I have a little secret to tell her. We want her votes in Molonglo. Perhaps her gratuitous advice is rather misplaced.

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