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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 11 Hansard (4 November) . . Page.. 3556 ..

Mrs Carnell: Madam Deputy Speaker, on a point of order: None of these issues have ever been discussed at COAG. They are not COAG issues. So, I wonder what the relevance is.

MR BERRY: Yes, they are.

Mrs Carnell: No; you are actually wrong. They are not COAG issues. Financial matters are Premiers Conference issues, as I would have hoped Mr Berry, if he ever plans to actually lead this Territory, would know, and issues such as the Acton-Kingston swap, Madam Deputy Speaker, are issues of individual negotiation.

MR BERRY: Not your fault.

Mrs Carnell: These issues, Madam Deputy Speaker, are simply not discussed at COAG. I think, taking into account that we are speaking about COAG now, Mr Berry would want to keep to the point.

MR BERRY: Why, then, would the Chief Minister not have discussed with her preferred Prime Minister in any detailed way the sacking of public servants, which has caused the ACT so much damage?

Mrs Carnell: Madam Deputy Speaker, I do ask you to rule on the fact that these issues are not COAG issues.

MR BERRY: You could have raised it.

Mrs Carnell: Madam Deputy Speaker, they are simply not issues that would ever be discussed at COAG. There are a number of forums in which I and other leaders - - -

MR BERRY: But you could raise it there if you wanted to.

Mrs Carnell: I and other Premiers do have an opportunity to speak to the Prime Minister; but the role of COAG is quite definitely spelt out, and it is simply not what Mr Berry is speaking about.

MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mr Berry, I am sure that you are well aware of the relevance rules and procedures.

MR BERRY: There is no evidence that Mrs Carnell ever tried to raise these issues at that forum, and it is not to say that they could not be raised. They, indeed, could be raised if Mrs Carnell would even bother to try to bring them on.

Mr Kaine: On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker: I think the Chief Minister has made it quite clear that the role of COAG is not to deal with the sorts of matters that Mr Berry is dealing with. They are not, and would not be, appropriately brought up there. If they were brought up, I imagine that they would be ruled out of order, because COAG has business which it is established to deal with, and these are not such matters.

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