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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 5 Hansard (26 August) . . Page.. 1365 ..

MR KAINE (continuing):

nor have I had such documents in my possession since I ceased being a member of the Cabinet some months ago. I have made no such documents available to the media or to anyone else. In fact, I would consider it totally improper for me to do so, apart from anything else.

Mr Humphries: What about your staff, Trevor?

MR KAINE: Mr Speaker, the Deputy Chief Minister and Attorney-General may not be aware that a comprehensive check was made by officers of the Chief Minister's Department some months ago when there was a witch-hunt on for some other allegedly missing Cabinet documents. They did a very careful check of my office and they found irrefutable records to the effect that all such documents had been accounted for and had been returned to the Chief Minister's Department. I repeat, Mr Speaker, that since that time, I have not had, nor do I have, such documents in my possession. Since I do not have them in my office and I do not have them in my possession, it follows that no staff member has access to them either, and I want to - - -

Mr Humphries: Oh, yes? It does not follow, Mr Kaine.

MR KAINE: Mr Humphries is repeating what he said by innuendo before. Mr Speaker, I make it quite clear that innuendo and insinuation of this kind coming from the chief law officer under the privilege of this place are, in my view, totally unacceptable although not unexpected. All I can suggest, Mr Speaker - - -

Mr Humphries: Mr Speaker, if Mr Kaine wants to use a personal explanation to make personal attacks, he should seek a different course. I am not interested in the woolly thinking that we are hearing from Mr Kaine. I am interested in hearing what he has to say by way of a personal explanation.

MR KAINE: All I can say, Mr Speaker, is that if Mr Humphries wants to pursue this innuendo outside this place I will be happy to engage him. The Chief Minister might be careful too, because I saw her showing such a document to somebody yesterday.

MR BERRY: Mr Speaker, I seek to make a personal explanation pursuant to standing order 46.

MR SPEAKER: Proceed.

MR BERRY: Mr Osborne referred to my attitude and said that he was not surprised by it. No, he should not be surprised, because he might well have expected that I would say some quite unkind things about the sneaky move to bring legislation into this Assembly this morning and disenfranchise a whole range of people from the debate. He also mentioned a deal that he alleges did not happen. I said in this Assembly this morning that I had heard from the media that there was a deal between Mr Osborne and the Government, where Mr Osborne gave his support to the Government in the censure motion yesterday in return for the events which occurred today. Mr Humphries interjected saying that that was not the case, and I said that I had no way of proving it. I still have no way of proving it, but I have to say that there is a fair bit of smoke about.

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