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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 4 Hansard (24 June) . . Page.. 973 ..

MR STANHOPE (continuing):

to shove them on. And they do do it. The Government quoted to us statistics about 2,620 people being moved on, with only 27 of them being dealt with by the court and only one of them complaining. Can you imagine the feelings of some of the people that were actually pushed on?

Mr Osborne: "Stanhope says police are bullies". Hang on; I am just doing a press release.

MR STANHOPE: Yes, write it down. Have you got that? I can speak more slowly, Ossie, if you need it. And I know they are.

Mr Humphries: Oh, come on! Are you seriously suggesting that all police are bullies?

MR STANHOPE: I did not say that. Minister, you are getting worse. What was the royal commission that New South Wales had over the last couple of years? What was it about? What was the royal commission, Mr Osborne, and what was it about? What did it reveal?

Mr Humphries: Mr Speaker, I rise to a point of order. Mr Stanhope is, effectively, making a comment about the reliability and honesty of the Federal Police. That is what he is saying, Mr Speaker; he is making a point about that.

Mr Berry: That is not a point of order, Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER: Order! Let me hear him out.

Mr Humphries: In this place there have been conventions about dealing with public servants. It is not necessarily under standing orders, but under conventions in this place. I would ask Mr Stanhope to be careful about what he says. There is no evidence of any dishonest behaviour on anything like the scale in New South Wales. I think it is very unfortunate that Mr Stanhope should use that comparison between the ACT and New South Wales.

Mr Osborne: Further to that point of order, I would respectfully say to Mr Stanhope that what he did say was that the police are bullies. Perhaps he would like to apologise to the AFP in the ACT.

MR SPEAKER: That is not a point of order, but I would simply advise Mr Stanhope to be careful.

MR STANHOPE: Mr Speaker, I said no such thing. I am quite seriously offended that Mr Osborne seeks to put words in my mouth. I am very happy to rely on the Hansard tomorrow.

Mr Osborne: I take a point of order, Mr Speaker. I am now being accused of being a liar. Mr Stanhope said - I wrote it down - "The police are bullies", and he said, "Yes, they are".

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