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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 9 Hansard (31 August) . . Page.. 2594 ..

MR HUMPHRIES: Yes, she would consult on it. She would not have a view about that at this stage, Mr Speaker. I think her consultation would bring her gradually to the position where it was all right to debase these vital national monuments by having these bicycles flitting up and down in front of them for a couple of days, Mr Speaker.

Mr Osborne: A solar powered car race.

MR HUMPHRIES: Better still; a solar powered car race. Would she be in that, Mr Speaker? Her claim that she is opposed to this use of national monuments reminds me of a story about Lord Byron who was travelling on a coach with a lady and lent over to her and said to her, "Madam, if I gave you a million pounds would you sleep with me?". The woman looked a bit taken aback, but she said, "Well, yes, your Lordship, I would". He said, "If I gave you five pounds would you sleep with me?". She said, "What do you take me for, your Lordship?". He said, "We have established what you are. We are merely haggling over the price". That, in a sense, is what Ms Tucker is saying. She does not care about whether we use national monuments as backdrops to a car race. She is perfectly happy for that to take place if it is a bicycle race or a foot race or some other kind of event. It becomes a question of what we are actually racing on the streets of Canberra. It is because they are cars, Mr Speaker, that Ms Tucker is concerned.

Mr Speaker, I urge members to reject the amendments Ms Tucker has brought forward. I think it is important for us to support this event, for no other reason than the creation of jobs in the ACT. It is about producing economic benefits which reduce social ills.

MR BERRY (12.08): Mr Speaker, what a flippant approach to the issue of jobs. Mr Humphries went on to say this is about jobs. These are the sorts of questions that we want answered. We want them answered in a public Estimates Committee.

Mr Humphries: Why did you not ask the questions if you wanted them answered?

MR BERRY: We would not ask you anything, Mr Humphries, because we would get disinformation.

Mr Humphries: Mr Speaker, I do not know how many times I have to take the same point of order. You have already ruled that it is not all right to reflect on a vote of the Assembly. That is exactly what Mr Berry is doing.

MR SPEAKER: Order! I do not mind this matter being debated, but I am sick and tired of hearing about an Estimates Committee that never got off the ground because of a vote of the Assembly.

Mr Quinlan: That is true, though.

MR SPEAKER: Thank you. It might be. Nevertheless, the standing orders do not allow a reflection. I said I was quite happy to allow broad reference, but I am not going to allow that sort of specific comment.

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