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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 9 Hansard (21 August) . . Page.. 2687 ..

MR STANHOPE: I answered that question yesterday, Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER: Is there a supplementary question? It is a bit hard to ask a supplementary question for a question that was answered yesterday.

MR PRATT: It was not answered yesterday. Unless that is your ruling, Mr Speaker, I would like to continue with the supplementary.

MR SPEAKER: Well, the Chief Minister has indicated that he thinks he has answered it, so I do not know how would you ask supplementary question.

MR PRATT: On the grounds that I do not believe he did answer it, I believe I should proceed.

MR SPEAKER: You can give it a try, but the Chief Minister might give you the same response. Be ready for it.

MR PRATT: I certainly will. It is a rough and rocky road, Mr Speaker. I am prepared to convince. Mr Stanhope, do you propose to deal with such situations in the future by simply paying people to meet with you, as Mr Corbell is doing, or will you just stay away as you did at the dragway protest on Tuesday?

Mrs Dunne: Alternatively, perhaps they could do a whip around and pay you to come to see them.

MR SPEAKER: Order, Mrs Dunne. You have had your chance.

MR STANHOPE: Thanks for the question, Mr Pratt. You do touch on a couple of important issues there. I would like to reinforce everything that Mr Corbell said about payments that are made to members of the community who participate in advising organisations and bodies. I must say that I am perplexed at this suggestion that everybody in this community who participates on a committee or a council of any sort should always do so without payment. This is quite a remarkable suggestion that you are making.

I think that, if we were to trawl through some of the payments that the Liberals made in government to people who were appointed to advise that government, the circumstances would indeed be very interesting. It really would be quite remarkable.

It is quite insulting to suggest that people who participate in a consultative process should not receive recognition of the costs that they meet as a result. I do not know whether that goes directly to your point. I am not suggesting that any particular community organisation might receive a payment. However, with regard to the principle of what you are suggesting-that these payments are in some way outrageous or outlandish-I have to say that I find it really quite remarkable.

As I said to you yesterday, Mr Pratt, and as I have indicated on other occasions, I have a very full diary, and I have a very wide range of appointments and commitments. I meet constantly with people and I did enjoy very much the meeting at Aranda that Mr Corbell

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