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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 6 Hansard (25 May) . . Page.. 1837 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

If we assume for the moment that these comments were made by Mr Smyth to influence Mr Gower, they could be argued to have been said, if they had been said, to influence the stand of the Gungahlin Community Council on this issue in the public arena when they were asked by journalists or the media to make comment on these issues. I ask Mr Rugendyke, who is being intervened on now by Mr Corbell, to listen to this very important argument.

Mr Wood: You concede the case, don't you. You concede the case.

MR HUMPHRIES: No, I am not conceding the case. You cannot have a select committee on privileges unless there is some evidence that a witness before an Assembly committee has been suborned in some way. Where is the evidence that any witness has been suborned in respect of the appearance before the committee? There is none in this. There is none at all. (Extension of time granted.) I thank members. If I have missed something, someone can point it out to me. Where is there reference to the standing committee in here? There isn't one, of course. Even if these words were true, which they are not, they do not amount to a breach of privilege because at no point is Mr Gower alleging that Mr Smyth said to him, "You have got to go into that standing committee"-I do not know how long ago it was-

Mr Smyth: It was on 5 May.

MR HUMPHRIES: How long before that was the meeting at Gungahlin?

Mr Smyth: In mid-April.

MR HUMPHRIES: So it was three weeks from when this conversation took place and when the committee had its hearing. You are saying that Mr Smyth was trying to get him to change his evidence before the committee, but Mr Smyth probably did not even realise it was going to take place at that point in time.

Mr Corbell: He did.

MR HUMPHRIES: Did he?

Mr Corbell: Yes, the witness was already scheduled to appear at that time.

MR HUMPHRIES: How did Mr Smyth know that?

Mr Corbell: The roster was circulated to his department. He would be aware of it.

MR HUMPHRIES: He saw the roster, did he? I do not see rosters of witnesses appearing before committees.

Mr Corbell: You do not deal with our committee.

MR HUMPHRIES: In my own portfolio I do not see those lists. Mr Speaker, I again ask for some-

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