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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 1 Hansard (30 April) . . Page.. 237 ..

Mr Humphries (continuing):

be asked to table those documents. We have accepted in this place that briefing papers before Ministers for the purpose of answering questions are not asked to be tabled, unless a separate document is brought in for that purpose. Mr Speaker, that is not against standing orders, but it certainly is an abrogation of a convention in this place.

MR SPEAKER: Yes, I uphold that convention. I also uphold the earlier point of order made by Mr Humphries - that questions shall not ask Ministers to announce Executive policy.

Mr Corbell: I have a point of order, Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER: Would you like to rephrase it? It may be possible, Mr Corbell; I do not know.

Mr Corbell: Mr Speaker, there is no business before the Assembly on this issue; so Mr Humphries's point on that is just wrong. It is just plain wrong. There is no business on the notice paper about ACTEW, Ecowise or any other government corporation.

Mr Humphries: On the point of order: There are two alternative arms of this. Either it is Executive policy, which you are not in a position to ask us to announce before it has been determined, particularly, or it is business on the notice paper. Either way, Mr Speaker, there is no basis for asking that question.

MS CARNELL: The document that Mr Corbell asked me to table was tabled by me yesterday.

MR SPEAKER: On the question of business on the notice paper, it has been drawn to my attention that under Executive business orders of the day there is a point about ACTEW Corporation Ltd; so it is not a question of there being nothing on the notice paper. But, more than that, it is quite clear that standing order 117(c)(ii) states that questions shall not ask Ministers to announce Executive policy, whether or not things are on the notice paper. In this particular case it is.

Sport

MR OSBORNE: Mr Speaker, my question is to the Minister for Education and relates to sport. Minister, can you outline what value you place on sport in your portfolio responsibilities and tell us how the Government supports the sport industry and how it values it here in the ACT?

Ms Carnell: I would say "too highly sometimes".

MR STEFANIAK: The Treasurer might say "too highly", Mr Osborne; but where do you start, really? Res ipsa loquitur, the old Latin phrase, the facts speak for themselves, Mr Osborne. I think this Government particularly - of all governments we have had in the Assembly, and we are now starting the Fourth Assembly - has placed a very strong

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