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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 7 Hansard (23 September) . . Page.. 2116 ..

Mr Rugendyke: I take a point of order, Mr Speaker. I would like to clarify that that is not the case.

MR SPEAKER: You will have a chance.

Mr Corbell: There is no point of order. He can do that in the debate.

MR SPEAKER: Yes, correct, Mr Corbell.

MR STANHOPE: Mr Rugendyke asked a question of the Minister about the position of the TWU in relation to its negotiations with ACTION management. Mr Rugendyke asked where the negotiations were up to at the moment. It was a simple straightforward question: "Where are the negotiations up to at the moment?". Mr Smyth thanked Mr Rugendyke for the question and said:

It is quite curious. Not only on Friday but I believe on Sunday and possibly even on Monday Mr Santi did claim -

the Minister acknowledges this -

that he put options to the Government that they would like to negotiate on.

The Minister then said:

I have checked with Mr Thurston, the head of ACTION, and as yet we have received no firm offers from the TWU at all.

The Minister knew at that time, or he should have known, that on the day before Mr Santi had presented to Mr Thurston a document setting out in detail all those items in the EBA that the TWU wished to hold further discussions on. It was a firm offer in the context of an industrial relations negotiation. It was the TWU's stated position on the EBA. It was the document that set out the TWU's position on the EBA. It is a firm offer. It is the TWU's position. It is the offer that they were making to the Government on the negotiations. It was headed "Without Prejudice". The Minister just refers to this in the context that if it is headed "Without Prejudice" in some way it is not a firm offer. The "Without Prejudice" heading to the document is simply an acknowledgment - - -

Mr Corbell: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I am reluctant to interfere with my colleague, but there are lobbies if members wish to conduct discussions in the chamber.

MR SPEAKER: I uphold the point of order, Mr Corbell. Please, if you do want to have a discussion would you go outside? That applies to everybody.

Mr Moore: This is the weakest bloody censure motion I have ever heard.

MR STANHOPE: Since you have been a member of the Government, Mr Moore; since you gave up all your principles, Mr Moore.

Debate interrupted.

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