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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 14 Hansard (10 December) . . Page.. 4828 ..

MR CORBELL (continuing):

ACT Ambos turned up. They were great, as they always are. They gave me a quick look once over, and said, "Look, go back to the office and ring the Queanbeyan Police Station", which I did.

Minister, is it not the case that the ambulance officers concerned deny ever advising the Chief Minister to leave the scene of the accident as the Chief Minister has claimed? Minister, why did the chief executive of the Attorney-General's Department advise the ACT Ambulance Service not to put out a statement defending the actions of their officers? If it was not the chief executive, then who was it? Is the only reason that the statement was suppressed that it would expose the Chief Minister's shabby attempt to shift from herself the blame for her decision to leave the scene of the accident before the police arrived?

MR SPEAKER: Mr Attorney, I do not think you are in a position to answer half of those questions - if any of them, in fact.

Mr Corbell: Yes, he is. He is the responsible Minister.

MR SPEAKER: Is the Minister responsible for something heard on television made by - - -

Mr Corbell: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. If you had listened to my question, you would know that I asked specifically about the activities of the chief executive of the Attorney-General's Department, whom the Minister is responsible for, and he has to answer the question.

MR SPEAKER: Mr Attorney, I do not believe that you are necessarily in a position to answer those questions.

Mr Corbell: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Under which standing order are you making that ruling?

MR SPEAKER: I suppose that under 117(b)(iii) there is an inference. There is a possibility of a hypothetical matter being discussed here, which is (vii).

Mr Corbell: Come on!

MR SPEAKER: You are quoting something that was said on television last night. You are asking the Attorney-General to comment on the matter. I do not know whether the Attorney-General is even aware of these things.

Mr Corbell: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. If you had listened to the question, which you obviously did not, with all due respect to you, Mr Speaker - - -

MR SPEAKER: I have listened very carefully.

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