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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 4 Hansard (21 April) . . Page.. 1105 ..

Mr Humphries: Mr Berry was given leave to make a statement "in relation to this matter" - I think they were the words he used - and that was in relation to the point of order raised by Mr Smyth about Mr Berry's claim on the floor of this place that he had a Cabinet-in-confidence document in front of him. Mr Speaker, that is the matter on which he was given leave to make a statement. He cannot make a statement about what he had for lunch today or what he thinks of the situation in Bosnia. He has to make a statement about the Cabinet-in-confidence document which Mr Smyth raised a moment ago.

MR SPEAKER: I uphold the point of order.

MR BERRY: Yes, indeed. Thank you, Mr Speaker, but it would be inappropriate - - -

Debate interrupted.

MR SPEAKER: Order! It being 5.00 pm, I propose the question:

Mr Humphries: I require the question to be put forthwith without debate.

Question resolved in the negative.

MR BERRY: Mr Speaker, it would be inappropriate of me to talk about this matter without giving appropriate details as to its background in order to make sure that members are properly informed. That is why I have raised those earlier issues. In the course of preparing a final draft for submission to this place, Mr Speaker, I went to counsel and issued instructions and said, "I would like a mirror image of this Bill. Use this one as a template". That is the one that I referred to earlier. They said, "Well, that sort of belongs to the Government at the moment. We will have to find out whether they are still interested in it". They did that and then they found out that the Government was no longer interested in it, it appears, and the next copy of the legislation which I received was this one. It is probably an accident that that was on there. It probably is an accident that "Cabinet-in-confidence" was on there.

Mr Stanhope: It was provided to you by the Government, Mr Berry.

MR BERRY: Well, it is in fact their Bill. So, it begs the question, Mr Speaker, if I may use that term, why in fact this Government would want to adjourn it.

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