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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 7 Hansard (23 September) . . Page.. 2122 ..

MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! The leader of the house will resume his seat. Mr Berry, the Chair recognises you and you used that word. I ask you to withdraw it forthwith.

Mr Berry: Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, it was allowed yesterday.

MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: I do not care. I was not in the chair. It is unparliamentary, sir, and I will not debate it with you. I ask you to withdraw it forthwith.

Mr Berry: May I just argue the point with you for a moment, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker? It was allowed yesterday.

MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: I am not interested. I am asking you to withdraw it forthwith.

Mr Berry: Okay. It is withdrawn.

Mr Corbell: Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, may I seek some clarification? There is a substantive motion before the house that the Minister misled this place, and that is that he lied. The substantive issue we are debating here is whether or not the Minister lied, and it is entirely in order for Mr Berry to make that statement.

MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: If the Chair is wrong I will apologise to the member, but I heard, "You lied". Those were the words I heard.

Mr Berry: No. "He lied", I said, but it does not matter. I withdraw it and I will get to it when I get a chance.

MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: Okay.

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, members heard remarks made yesterday by Mr Smyth. I repeat, as I have been trying to say over interjections for the last few minutes, that if there was a case based only on what Mr Smyth said yesterday the matter would be viewed in a very different way; but today Mr Smyth observed the best conventions of the Westminster system, rose in this place and clarified what has occurred in respect of negotiations involving the Government and the Transport Workers Union. He clarified those matters and nothing that Mr Stanhope said in his remarks touched on the accuracy of what Mr Smyth said today. Everything that Mr Stanhope said today and everything Mr Stanhope attacked today by way of statements from Mr Smyth were statements Mr Smyth made yesterday in this place, not today. If Mr Smyth made inaccurate statements yesterday and he made no effort to correct those statements then he may, in theory at least, have been subject to some motion of censure, but he did not do that. What he did was rise and correct them today. This is about setting a standard. If members of this place believe that relaying information to this place and then correcting it if it does not appear to be correct is not a satisfactory - - -

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