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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 9 Hansard (19 November) . . Page.. 2725 ..

MR CORBELL: Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, I seek leave to make a personal explanation under standing order 46.

MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Hird): I call Mr Corbell.

MR CORBELL: Thank you, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker. Earlier today in question time, the Chief Minister suggested that in some way I had misled the community of Canberra through some comments I made on radio 2CN in relation to the contamination of the Sydney water supply. During her answer to a question, I think from Mr Hird, the Chief Minister suggested that I had claimed that the contamination came from the Sydney water supply under private ownership when in fact it was obviously under public ownership. I simply want to clarify that the Chief Minister is wrong again. The suggestion that I was making, which is entirely accurate, was that the filtration and treatment plant - - -

Mr Moore: I take a point of order. Standing order 46 allows Mr Corbell to explain his perspective, not to say that the Chief Minister is wrong. That is debating the issue. The standing order specifically says that he cannot debate the issue.

MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mr Corbell, direct your remarks to the standing order and do not debate the matter.

MR CORBELL: The Chief Minister suggested that I had claimed that the contamination occurred under private ownership, when Sydney Water was publicly owned. The point that I was endeavouring to make during that interview, which I will continue to make, is that the contamination is still believed to have potentially occurred in the Prospect treatment plant, which is privately operated, indeed privately built. The Chief Minister was wrong when she made the suggestion that I in some way misled. Quite clearly, under the examination done by Sydney Water the contamination could have occurred at the Prospect treatment plant. For that reason Chief Minister is wrong again.

MR QUINLAN: Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, I also wish to make a personal explanation under standing order 46.

Mr Moore: I raise a point of order, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker. You indicated to Mr Corbell when he was using standing order 46 that he ought not to debate the matter. Twice after that, he repeated exactly the same thing that you had instructed him not to say. Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, you should ensure that when Mr Quinlan is making his personal explanation he does not debate the matter.

MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

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