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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 8 Hansard (9 August) . . Page.. 2732 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

bloody fool" to the Chief Minister. So the words set out in the censure motion do not seem to fit the context of what happened. There are inconsistencies.

I have no idea what happened, and there is no way I can know. So, I am not prepared to make a decision to support the motion. I respect Keith Ryder's view as a professional Hansard person. Mr Quinlan and every other member have the right to look at the draft Hansard and say, "That's not what I said. Remove it." We all have that right. We all get draft Hansards and we have the right to say, "No, that's not right." With respect, how many ridiculous words have other members found? People are doing their best but sometimes words are printed that are totally wrong. I am sure every single person in this place has had that experience. So taking that experience into account, you cannot expect members who were not in the chamber to make a judgment. Particularly after listening to Mr Ryder, I feel I certainly cannot.

On the question of Mr Humphries and others in this place taking the high moral ground on this matter, I clearly remember Mr Humphries often making cat claws and all sorts of sexist gestures across the chamber, directed not at me but at women members of the Labor Party. That was very offensive. During my last speech earlier today Mr Moore constantly interjected that I was condescending or I was self-righteous or something. I am a woman, so he was calling me condescending or self-righteous. I am not going to hold up the whole parliament over that. This is what happens, I do not like it, we are used to it, and people get upset. I think it would be much better if we moved on and did some serious work in this place.

MR KAINE (7.48): Mr Speaker, I will speak briefly so that everybody knows where I stand. I will not be supporting this motion. I think that Mr Osborne and Ms Tucker have made the points sufficiently strongly. It staggers me that, although we are expected to sit another six days to deal with 50 significant bills listed on the notice paper which the government and the Chief Minister think are important, the Chief Minister has been slinking around checking the Hansard to see whether somebody used a nasty word. Then he comes in here and, on the basis of no evidence at all, according to Mr Osborne and Ms Tucker who have both heard the recording, accuses people of using words which nobody else can hear.

Mr Speaker, I think the whole thing is damn pathetic. I just cannot believe that we are playing such sandbox politics when we are just weeks away from an election, days away from the last sitting of this place, and we have to deal with legislation listed on the notice paper which the government thinks is important. Mr Speaker I think we should put the matter to the vote, get it out of the way, and let the government get down to some of the real business of what they think is important.

MR QUINLAN (7.49): I would like to concur with Mr Kaine that we should get on with business. I will not be taking a great deal of the time of the house in speaking to the matter that is before us. I want to make only a couple of points. First of all, if you read the Hansard it is quite clear that if I made any derogatory comment at all it was to Mr Humphries. It was Mr Humphries who was on his feet; it was Mr Humphries who, as I saw it, was being condescending.

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