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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 8 Hansard (26 August) . . Page.. 2499 ..
Mr Berry: Mr Speaker, it sounds to me as if there is a plot afoot for this mob not to answer questions. Mr Speaker, how about letting them answer questions?
MR SPEAKER: I think you will find that you are wrong, Mr Berry. I am sure that they will answer your question, when it is asked, if it is possible to answer it. I uphold Mr Moore's point of order. I have standing order 117 in front of me, and there is no question that there was an inference or an imputation in the question implying that the Chief Minister was somehow holding this Assembly in contempt. The question is out of order.
Mr Berry: Just let him rephrase the question.
MR SPEAKER: It was a supplementary question.
MR QUINLAN: Mr Speaker, my question is to the Chief Minister. It is nothing personal. Chief Minister, you said in your answer to my supplementary question yesterday - - -
Mr Moore: I rise on a point of order, Mr Speaker, so that people understand. Standing order 117(b)(vi) says that ironical expressions are out of order. I thought I would make sure that members understand that we expect questions to be asked in accordance with standing orders.
MR SPEAKER: Members might like to read standing order 117.
MR QUINLAN: Mr Speaker, my question is to the Chief Minister. The Chief Minister, in her answer to my supplementary question of yesterday, said:
At this stage, as Mr Quinlan knows, we do not have the working party report on the merger to weigh up against the other entities ...
She also said that the report had been with the New South Wales Government for the past two weeks. Is the Chief Minister sure that the New South Wales Government has the report, and has had it for weeks, and that she does not? If so, Chief Minister, what sort of arrangement do you have with New South Wales that would permit them but not you to have a copy of this joint report ?
MS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, I can be absolutely confident that I do not have a copy of the report. Because I am not on the working party - surprise, surprise - it would be very inappropriate for me to have a copy. I would be fairly confident that the Minister in New South Wales does not have a copy either, because he is not on the working party either. When the working party does have a final document agreed by both sides, I am sure, as we have said, that it will be released.
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