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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 2 Hansard (21 May) . . Page.. 466 ..

Mr Berry: Mr Speaker, Mr Moore just interjected across the chamber, "That is a lie", referring to me. That is an improper imputation.

MR SPEAKER: Mr Moore, I did not hear the interjection, although all interjections and cross-chamber chat are - - -

Mr Berry: You should withdraw that.

MR SPEAKER: Just a moment. Mr Moore, if you did say that, please withdraw it.

Mr Moore: I will withdraw anything that may have upset the petulant Mr Berry.

Mr Berry: I was not even there, Michael.

MR SPEAKER: Thank you, Mr Moore. Sit down and be quiet, Mr Berry. Mr Humphries, you have the floor.

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, the question here is what procedure ought to be used to deal with the situation. How should a member of government, whether a member of the Liberal Party or of some other party or an Independent, deal with a situation where they wish to bring forward to this place legislation which is not Executive policy? It does happen from time to time that members of the Government advance Bills which are not Executive policy. Mr Berry should know that, because he himself introduced in this place a Bill which was not official policy of the Labor Party. After he left the ministry, as a backbencher in 1994, he introduced legislation on abortion.

Mr Berry: In private members business.

MR HUMPHRIES: Admittedly, a private members Bill. The point I am making is that, as a member of the Government, he was able to deal with a Bill which was not Executive policy. There, Mr Speaker, is the difference. The procedure which Mr Moore is using today is a procedure which has already been used in the chamber in precisely the same way.

Mr Berry: It is not in precisely the same way.

MR HUMPHRIES: Yes.

Mr Berry: That was private members business. I was a private member.

MR HUMPHRIES: I am not talking about your case, Mr Berry; I am talking about another case. If you sit down and listen for a moment, you will hear what I am going to say. Last year Mrs Carnell introduced legislation to amend the Artificial Conception Act. She did so without the endorsement of the Government, because it was a matter on which the Government had divided views. Her Bill was, in effect, a private members Bill.

Mr Berry: She had the approval of the Executive to do it.

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