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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 11 Hansard (8 December) . . Page.. 3179 ..

MR SPEAKER: I have sought advice from the Clerk. The situation is this: The motion to adjourn the debate cannot be debated. However, in the event that that motion, namely, that the debate be adjourned, is carried, the question then that the resumption of the debate be made an order of the day for the first sitting after the presentation to the Assembly of the report of the select committee can be debated. Is that clear?

Mr Kaine: It is part of the same motion, is it not? There are not two motions.

MR SPEAKER: No, it is not, Mr Kaine. The Clerk's advice is that under standing order 65 the question shall be put forthwith and determined without amendment or debate, that is, that the debate be adjourned. The subsequent debate, namely, when the resumption is to take place, is a debatable motion, so I will put the question. The question is: That the debate be adjourned.

The Assembly voted -

AYES, 8	 	NOES, 9

Mr Berry	Ms Carnell
Mr Corbell	Mr Cornwell
Mr Hargreaves	Mr Hird
Mr Quinlan	Mr Humphries
Mr Rugendyke	Mr Kaine
Mr Stanhope	Mr Moore
Ms Tucker	Mr Osborne
Mr Wood		Mr Smyth
		Mr Stefaniak

MR SPEAKER: I would remind members that we are still debating only order of the day No. 1, the ACTEW (Transfer Scheme) Bill 1998.

MR STANHOPE (Leader of the Opposition) (10.45): This Bill is, of course, an incredibly important piece of legislation. It has been suggested by me and many others in this place that it is perhaps the most significant or important piece of legislation or issue to come before the Assembly since self-government. That is a view that I hold firmly. I think it is a real pity that we are debating this Bill today.

The Chief Minister has consistently disputed any suggestion that she is seeking to ram the sale of ACTEW through the Assembly. She claimed as recently as yesterday that she has made her intentions clear in relation to this matter. It is, of course, the fact that as recently as 1995 the Chief Minister, in correspondence with the workers of ACTEW, stated unequivocally:

I would like to state clearly, once again, that we have no intention of selling ACTEW. It is owned by the people of Canberra, and will remain so.

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