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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 6 Hansard (25 May) . . Page.. 1898 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

support that course of action because in an Assembly of 17 it is appropriate to make sure that divisions on matters of great significance where a member's vote will be important reflect the opinions of those 17 members.

Mr Wood: So every time there are not 17 votes we are going to have another vote. Is that right?

MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! The house will make the determination.

MR HUMPHRIES: I commend that motion to the Assembly.

MR CORBELL (10.39): First of all, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, has a copy of Mr Humphries' motion been circulated to members? I do not have one on my desk.

MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: I will take some advice on that.

Mr Moore: It is the standard suspension of standing orders motion.

MR CORBELL: Nevertheless, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, this is an absolutely outrageous move by the government. It is a move by the government to try to rectify a result which it is unhappy with. We had a long debate in this place today. It was a highly considered debate and all members, I stress all members, had the opportunity to participate.

Mr Wood: And to vote.

MR CORBELL: And to vote in that debate. No indication was given at any time that a member would be absent and that therefore the vote should not take place, which is the normal course of events. It is well known in this place that if members feel very strongly about an issue and they do wish to vote, they speak to usually the member proposing the motion and they say, "I would not like the motion put until I am available to vote on it." That is the usual custom and practice in this place. It may not be written down in the standing orders, indeed it is not, but that is the custom or practice. That is not what is being proposed here today. What is being proposed now is simply a deliberate attempt to change the outcome because the government lost.

Mr Humphries: And you would never do that, would you, Simon?

MR CORBELL: Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, I would challenge the Attorney to highlight when the Labor Party has tried on a stunt like he is trying now, because, quite simply, it has not occurred.

Mr Humphries: Be careful. I think you have done it before.

MR CORBELL: It has not occurred. Mr Speaker, this is an outrageous attempt to overturn a vote of this Assembly after a considered and lengthy debate in which every member had the opportunity to speak and every member had the opportunity to vote. Members should not support this motion.

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