Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 8 Hansard (25 August) . . Page.. 2379 ..

MR SMYTH: Mr Speaker, I thank Mr Corbell for the opportunity to speak to this matter because what we see from Mr Corbell is a growing series of incidents where - - -

Mr Corbell: Last week you said it was sub judice.

MR SPEAKER: Order! Mr Corbell, you have asked your question and if you continue to interject you will be dealt with.

MR SMYTH: He misrepresents and quotes out of context. The perfect example occurred yesterday with the dogs. I believe that Mr Corbell misled this place when he told the Assembly that he had not released Mr Ellis's name - - -

Mr Corbell: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. If Mr Smyth wants to make a substantive allegation against me about misleading this place he should do it through a proper motion, and I ask him to withdraw that comment. I have not misled this place.

MR SMYTH: Mr Speaker, I am happy to withdraw, but what I will do is table Mr Corbell's press release and the attached documents that name the public servant and ask that they be included in Hansard. Mr Corbell denied that in this place yesterday and he should be ashamed of himself.

Mr Corbell: I take a point of order, Mr Speaker. Relevance, Mr Speaker. The Minister is yet to mention the Dragway once.

MR SPEAKER: I am happy to allow the Minister to table that document. Go on, Mr Smyth.

MR SMYTH: How quickly, Mr Speaker, he jumps for relevance. We know it hurts when he goes straight to relevance. Mr Speaker, on Friday Mr Corbell put out a press release that quotes some legal advice. You have to remember that the main issue is before the court, and I will not talk about the leases and the dragway. Mr Corbell quotes from this document. It is legal advice from 1995 about the dragway and the use of lighting. Mr Corbell chose to quote out of context one line from one point out of 25 points and misrepresented the issue. Mr Corbell ought to be ashamed of himself.

MR CORBELL: I have a supplementary question. I am glad the Minister is across the issue, Mr Speaker. As the Minister would be well aware, the legal advice that I referred to last Friday was in relation to the powers of the Territory to make declarations. It was a footnote on legal advice relating to another issue, but it was nevertheless relevant to the case. Mr Speaker, I ask the Minister why he has failed to act on that advice, the advice we are referring to, which states:

Why has he continued to refuse to make the necessary declarations?

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .