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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 3 Hansard (13 March) . . Page.. 1061 ..

MR STANHOPE

: You have, Mrs Burke. I know that you are a person of extremely good heart and all of that, but essentially your position and the position of the Liberal Party in all of this debate has been a position that suggests that this legislation is an assault on marriage. It is not. I just need to make the point-

Mrs Burke

: No, I have never said that. No, retract that.

MR STANHOPE

: The very comments you just made were to that effect. To the extent that you suggest that this is in some way an assault on marriage, namely, a marriage between a man and a woman, you are. You are not accepting the essential importance of this legislation.

Mrs Burke

: I rise to a point of order, Mr Speaker, a point of clarification. I never at any time said-

MR SPEAKER

: That is not a point of order, Mrs Burke.

Mrs Burke

: Clarification under standing order 55, Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER

: When debate has finished on this matter, you will be quite free to rise and seek my leave.

Mrs Burke

: The Chief Minister should retract what he said. That was not true and he knows it. I never said that.

MR SPEAKER

: Under standing order 47, you can explain words.

Mrs Burke

: I would like to. Thank you for the opportunity.

MR SPEAKER

: But I suggest that you wait until the Chief Minister has finished his speech on that matter.

MR STANHOPE

: That was all I wished to say, Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER

: Pursuant to section 47, you can speak again.

Mrs Burke

: Thank you. I did not say that it was an assault on marriage. I think Mr Stanhope jolly well knows that. It was not. Indeed, I have made my points clearly. We need to get on with the debate. There are people waiting anxiously for the outcome and I am sad that you would prolong this debate any further than you have, Mr Stanhope.

MR SPEAKER

: That very standing order says that we should not have any debate on that matter.

Mrs Burke

's amendment to Mr Stanhope's proposed amendment negatived.

Mr Stanhope

's amendment agreed to.

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