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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 9 Hansard (18 November) . . Page.. 2598 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

substance of Mr Osborne's new Bill. They are fairly well aware of that. I really do not think it makes any great difference in the circumstances of this case whether this Bill is introduced now or not because, as Ms Carnell indicated, it can be introduced tomorrow, especially given the fact that it was impossible for Mr Osborne, as far as I understand it, to put it before the Administration and Procedure Committee yesterday because he only had his Bill finalised last night. When you add up all those facts, it is just commonsense that he be allowed to bring the Bill in now.

MR HARGREAVES (11.24): Mr Speaker, the reason why I asked for your interpretation before about the actual wording of the motion was to shed some light in my own mind about exactly what we are talking about. I had hoped sincerely that I would have heard the words: "I withdraw the Bill".

Mr Humphries: You will in a minute.

Ms Carnell: You will.

Mr Osborne: Hold your breath, John. It is coming.

MR HARGREAVES: Mr Speaker, those enlightened folk across the chamber are saying to me, "Trust me". Well, quite frankly, Mr Speaker, I do not. I do not because I have ample evidence before me here to prove that they are an untrustworthy bunch. I have to say, Mr Speaker, that I am really disappointed not to see that thing there. If that was the intention, Mr Speaker, it should have appeared in the motion.

Ms Carnell: But he cannot do both at the same time. He has to do them separately.

MR HARGREAVES: Mr Speaker, can I have a ruling, please? Do I take my directions from your chair or from the Chief Minister's?

MR SPEAKER: You take them from my chair, please.

MR HARGREAVES: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I was confused for a second. What we are being asked to do here is to put up with another sneaky introduction of a Bill. That is something we could put a little bit of thought to, perhaps. One of the big problems I had with the original Bill was the speed with which it hit. I agreed, and I still do, with a lot of Mr Osborne's motives and philosophies, but I do not agree with what I saw manifested in the Bill that he produced.

One of the things that really upset me at the time was having to decide in 48 hours or less on something people had been talking about for lifetimes. What we are asked to do now is to take this Bill in a hurry. It is going to be presented in a hurry. There is a process. Mr Speaker, I presented a Bill this morning and it went through the normal process but - - -

Mr Humphries: You had the Bill ready in time.

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