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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 10 Hansard (14 October) . . Page.. 3152 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

In the course of this matter, Mr Berry, I said on one occasion that even in terms of what the bursars were getting prior to this series of negotiations and assessments of what should happen they were very well paid compared with those in the Catholic system or, indeed, interstate. Some significant rearrangements have occurred. I think it was put on the table that rather than doing 6 hours and 15 minutes or so a day - - -

Mr Berry: Hang your head in shame, you bully.

MR STEFANIAK: Shut up. You might learn something. They would actually be going to full-time employees, and naturally that meant some rearrangements.

Mr Berry: I never picked that one up. Bullying poor bursars.

MR SPEAKER: Order, please! Stop interjecting.

MR STEFANIAK: I think the department was always keen to see that happen. I am very pleased to see the progress made on this matter over the last six weeks. Mr Berry, I do not think that at any stage anyone on this side of the house, certainly not me and certainly not any of my colleagues or anyone in the department, ever said anything that would undervalue the very considerable work that bursars do in our system.

Mr Berry: Poor defenceless bursars.

MR SPEAKER: Order, Mr Berry! If you keep interjecting I will deal with you.

MR STEFANIAK: So I regard some of your comments as absolute nonsense.

MR HIRD: Mr Speaker, how people forget. Who locked the Fire Commissioner out for five or six months? My, my, how they forget. However, my question is to the Attorney-General. Is he aware of the comments made by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Stanhope, that amendments to the Coroners Act could delay the findings of the coronial inquest into the demolition of the old Royal Canberra Hospital? Are these comments true? Is it your intention to use the proposal to delay the inquest? Finally, why would the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Stanhope, have made the comment over the weekend that the Bill was going to be debated this week?

MR SPEAKER: The third part of the question is out of order because the Attorney is not in a position to answer that; only Mr Stanhope can.

MR HIRD: Well, I will abide by your ruling, sir.

Mr Stanhope: It is a good question, Harold. I am glad you asked it.

MR SPEAKER: Mr Attorney, you can answer the first two questions.

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