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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 9 Hansard (3 September) . . Page.. 2786 ..

Mr Whitecross: Mr Speaker, I rise to take a point of order under standing order 57, which deals with offensive words. In debate yesterday Mr Humphries repeatedly referred to Mr Berry, the Leader of the Opposition, as a harlot. When points of order were raised with the Temporary Deputy Speaker, Mr Hird, he ruled that it was not unparliamentary. If Mr Humphries wants to diminish himself by calling people harlots, that is his business. I am sure Mr Berry would not call the Chief Minister a harlot. Mr Speaker, I believe that you have a responsibility to uphold standards in this place, and I would ask you to look at that and to rule that the use of the word "harlot" to refer to other members of the Assembly is offensive and disorderly within the meaning of standing order 57. Mr Humphries should be directed to withdraw the use of the word "harlot" and you should give Mr Hird a bit of re-education in proper standards of parliamentary behaviour.

Mr Moore: On the point of order, Mr Speaker: I think in making a decision you should take into account the terrible insult to sex workers in this Territory.

Mr Hird: On the point of order, Mr Speaker, and following on from what Mr Moore just said, I would like to say that it is a profession. As usual, Mr Whitecross is putting a twist on a word used during a speech. It is a shame that Mr Whitecross cannot get a better education and have a better working knowledge of the standing orders. If he did, he would still be sitting in the Leader of the Opposition's chair.

Mr Whitecross: Mr Speaker, I do not profess to have a working knowledge of harlots.

MR SPEAKER: Mr Whitecross has raised a matter under standing order 57. Mr Whitecross, you have asked me whether I will re-educate Mr Hird. As Speaker, it is not my place to rule on decisions made by other occupants of this chair. Those members make their own decisions on how they will rule. It is not my place to make any rulings on that. If that were the case, I might find myself occupied at some considerable length.

Mr Whitecross: Is it parliamentary or unparliamentary?

MR SPEAKER: I am in the hands of the Assembly on this matter, but I really cannot rule on what other occupants of this chair may regard as parliamentary or not parliamentary.

Mr Whitecross: Further to the point of order, Mr Speaker: I take on board your remarks that you do not feel able to exercise any control over how your Temporary Deputy Speakers behave. That still leaves open the question of whether you are going to rule on whether you regard the use of the word "harlot" to refer to other members of the Assembly as acceptable parliamentary practice or not.

Mr Humphries: Mr Speaker, I rise on the point of order. This is a waste of time. No-one in your hearing has used the word "harlot" today in respect of another member. Therefore, you are being asked to rule hypothetically on what will happen if someone happens to use the word. Let us get a dictionary out and go through all the words and see what you might say if someone asks you about any of them.

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