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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 5 Hansard (26 August) . . Page.. 1378 ..

Mr Stanhope: Nobody believes that anymore.

Mr Kaine: You have to be joking. Which political book have you been reading - Fantasy Land?

MR SPEAKER: Order! The Chief Minister has the floor. Dear me! Is it a full moon out there or something?

MS CARNELL: It must be. In the Pettit report - - -

Mr Berry: You sound barking mad, Chief Minister.

MR SPEAKER: Order! Members, if you wish to converse would you please go outside and do it. The Chief Minister has the floor.

MS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, those opposite were worried a minute ago about the time that this statement would take. It was going to take a lot less time when I started than it is now, because of their interjections. I think the important thing here is that we do get legislative programs on the table from as many parts of this Assembly as possible so that Mr Humphries's legislative drafting area is in a position to put aside the time they need for various pieces of legislation and so that we can improve the efficiency of this place. That is what Mr Moore has done. I think that is appropriate. I hope other members of the Assembly do the same. I also hope other members of the Assembly go away and reread the Pettit report. The Pettit report did suggest that you could have a Minister that was not necessarily of the party of government. I think we are proving that that can work efficiently, so let us just see whether we can make this Assembly more cooperative rather than less.

Mr Moore: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: The suspension of standing orders was to allow the Chief Minister and me to speak. I would be delighted, and I am sure the Government would be delighted, if Mr Corbell were to seek leave, to allow him to speak.

MR CORBELL: Mr Speaker, I seek leave to speak in this debate.

Leave granted.

MR CORBELL: I thank members. Mr Speaker, I think what the Government and the coalition over there refuses to recognise is that this side of the house has no objection whatsoever to Mr Moore proposing some business as long as he recognises two things. First of all, he is a Minister in this Government and his prime responsibility is as the Minister for Health. That is what the Assembly holds him responsible for. Secondly, the coalition over there refuses to recognise that we have always recognised that Ministers have introduced private members business into this place before. Unlike what is being proposed now, those were one-off occurrences. There was not a comprehensive private members legislative program such as that which Mr Moore is proposing today.

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