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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 7 Hansard (6 June) . . Page.. 2057 ..

MR SMYTH (continuing):

If you were so certain that Mr Wood's privilege had been breached, you should have had the Assembly inquiry and from that inquiry, if something was found to be untoward, that should have been referred to the police.

That would have been the appropriate process, Mr Speaker-that is how it should be done. What happened was, in a flush of expectation, this was immediately referred to the police, because you thought, "Huh, huh-we have got you!" Well, you were wrong.

Today you are saying that the government has no faith in the investigative powers of the police and no faith in the deductive powers of the DPP. You are saying, "We don't believe you got it right. There are no charges to be laid. We will get him some other way." That is so typical of you, Chief Minister. We have seen it before. "We will do anything at whatever cost. We will abandon all our principles."

Mr Stanhope: I have a point of order, Mr Speaker.

MR SMYTH: "We will simply say that we did not know what happened."

Mr Stanhope: I do not want to interrupt the flow, or anything like that. It is probably relevant to advise the Assembly, at this stage, that the government did not refer this matter to the police. I think it was the Assembly that did so.

MR SMYTH: That is interesting. That is fine. I am glad Mr Stanhope raised that.

Mr Wood: Correct yourself!

MR SMYTH: If I have said something wrong, Mr Wood, then I withdraw the error.

Mr Stanhope: It rather destroys the flow of the speech, I admit.

MR SMYTH: No, no. Mr Stanhope now seeks to bolster his position by saying he has broken the flow of the speech. It is interesting. It was the Assembly that was responsible for this activity-I was not asked that it be referred. I certainly was not. I am not sure anybody on this side was asked that it be referred.

Where was the Attorney-General in standing up for the rights of a Canberra citizen? Where was the President of the Civil Liberties Council who was then out there spruiking about what a terrible thing it was? Where is the man who knows and loves the law, who wants honesty and openness-when he bags out the entire Liberal Party staff? Where is the natural justice in that, Mr Speaker? Where is the natural justice from the man who says he is here to look after all Canberrans?

There is no natural justice, because there is not a justice issue here. This is politics, pure and simple. It is a witch-hunt. It is a witch-hunt gone wrong. You have been exposed by your own words today, when you said you had no idea what transpired, Chief Minister-and yet you were out there spruiking it!

Would you say that is a good way to explain, protect and enhance the law of the ACT-to be passing comment on something that you do not know?-and by making statements that were, by looking at them, I would suggest, incorrect?

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