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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 4 Hansard (28 March) . . Page.. 988 ..

MS TUCKER: I seek leave to speak again.

Leave granted.

MS TUCKER: I just want to explain something to Mr Osborne. I was rung by the Manager of Government Business last night, who asked me to move a motion to defer the censure motion until later today, because Mr Smyth would not be here as he was going to go to a funeral. But, if his presence is essential for every other debate then I imagine that he would have also made that communication to other people who are putting business on the notice paper. I do not understand that that has happened, so I am assuming that the government has accommodated the fact that he wants to go to this funeral of a former member of the Heritage Council and that it is workable.

When he rang me there was even a flexibility about it on the part of the Manager of Government Business in terms of whether or not Mr Smyth would go to the funeral. He was saying that, if I insisted on doing the censure motion then, he would not go because there was some flexibility there. I do not quite agree with how you are seeing it. That is not the impression I had from Mr Smyth. We would just have to adjourn the whole place if he cannot be here and everything on the notice paper requires his presence.

MR OSBORNE: I seek leave to speak again.

Leave granted.

MR OSBORNE: Just on that point, we all went through a wasted day yesterday when the Assembly was under the watchful eye of Ms Tucker, who made the decisions. We try to make sensible decisions here on this side of the crossbench.

All my negotiations with the government in relation to my workers compensation motion have been with Mr Smyth. All my discussions regarding Totalcare have been with Mr Smyth. All my planning discussions have been with Mr Smyth. I think it is only fair that he be here when these things are debated. I do not mind. I am quite happy to-

Mr Quinlan: What are we going to do this morning?

MR OSBORNE: We could do the draft budget initiative, but, as I said, I am not going to die in a ditch over it. I am just stating my opinion, which I thought I was allowed to do.

MR BERRY (10.41), in reply: I am closing the debate, Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER: Yes, indeed.

MR BERRY: I just want to clarify a few things. I think Mr Humphries said I should have been waiting for a phone call about this in my office last night. I do not know what time my office was phoned. A signal has come from the gallery, Mr Speaker, that it was at 7 o'clock.

MR SPEAKER: It should not.

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