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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 5 Hansard (5 May) . . Page.. 1342 ..

Mr Corbell: Mick Lilley has not.

Mr Humphries: He has served other governments in other places.

Mr Hargreaves: Who cares?

Mr Humphries: Okay, Mr Hargreaves does not care. There is no evidence whatsoever, not one shred of evidence, that either of those public servants have behaved in anything other than the most appropriate and proper way. Mr Speaker, I would ask Mr Kaine to withdraw the reference - - -

Mr Corbell: He made a reference to the colour of their footwear. How can that give rise to a point of order?

Mr Humphries: Mr Speaker, I ask to be heard on this matter. This is a serious matter, Mr Speaker.

Mr Corbell: Under what standing order, Gary?

Mr Humphries: It is a question on which the Speaker has ruled before, Mr Corbell, about making - - -

Mr Corbell: What standing order, Gary?

Mr Humphries: It is a matter on which the Speaker has ruled before - - -

Mr Corbell: What standing order?

Mr Humphries: Mr Speaker, if members want to get stuck into public servants, that is fine. But those sorts of references are not justified and should not be made unless members are prepared to back them up with substantive motions. We have talked about this kind of thing in the past. Ms Ford was a senior public servant in the office of a Minister in a Labor government. She served with distinction on both sides of the political spectrum. She does not deserve that kind of reference in this particular debate.

MR SPEAKER: Mr Kaine, if there was any inference - - -

MR KAINE: Mr Speaker, let me make it clear. The Minister has drawn an inference from what I said, so it is in his mind rather than mine. If the Minister's inference is that I am in any way attempting to cast an aspersion on the characters of two public servants, I am not. I am suggesting that perhaps the politicians behind all this ought to look closely at themselves. That was my point rather than the inference that the Minister chose to draw.

MR SPEAKER: Thank you for the clarification.

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