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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 10 Hansard (25 September) . . Page.. 3362 ..

MR BERRY (continuing):

and "loose asbestos" inserted. Building inspectors will have less to do, it appears. On a quick examination of the Bill, which we received on Tuesday, one must ask who gets the authority to do that. I trust that somebody who is listening to this debate will have worked this out and will be able to inform the Assembly about that as we proceed.

There are some mysterious moves by the Government which, one assumes, are about to correct some or all of the things which were mentioned in the Standing Committee on Scrutiny of Bills and Subordinate Legislation Report No. 14 of 1997 tabled this morning. I am no wiser at this point about which of the criticisms will be addressed by the Government. I do not think anybody in this house is. I am not prepared to take this Chief Minister on faith, given her performance on a whole range of things, particularly when it comes to putting the facts before this Assembly. We went through a process today where it was demonstrated that the facts were not put before this Assembly - - -

Mrs Carnell: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Is Mr Berry reflecting on a vote of the house?

MR SPEAKER: Yes, he is; but he is also not being relevant to the debate.

MR BERRY: I am not prepared to take this Chief Minister on good faith. I will not take her at face value. I have been caught out too many times before. That is why I am hesitant and will resist the passage of this Bill today. I think it should not proceed but should lie on the table until at least the next sitting period or until the Government has responded to the complexities of the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Scrutiny of Bills. I think it is outrageous that they have not responded to the report and are prepared to rush this Bill through the way they are.

MR MOORE (6.18): Mr Speaker, it was obvious to me that Mr Berry was reading the legislation here in the chamber for the first time.

Ms McRae: How many times have you read it - two or three? Did you read it yesterday or today?

MR SPEAKER: Order!

Ms McRae: How many times did Mr Moore interject on Mr Berry, Mr Speaker?

MR MOORE: Mr Speaker, why do you not warn her?

Ms McRae: You do not like being interjected on, do you? You do not like gratuitous insults, do you?

MR SPEAKER: I warn Ms McRae.

MR MOORE: Mr Berry was clearly reading this legislation for the first time. It was distributed to members last week. Mr Berry quoted a series of provisions in the Building Act and said, "I would not know where they have gone, but they have clearly gone somewhere". Indeed, they have gone somewhere. It demonstrates that Mr Berry

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