Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 8 Hansard (19 August) . . Page.. 2796 ..

MR SPEAKER: Withdraw that, Mr Stanhope.

Mr Stanhope: I withdraw that. He was not saying you lied, Mr Pratt. He was saying you are a hypocrite, but he was not saying you lied.

Mrs Dunne: Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER: Order! Withdraw that.

Mr Stanhope: I withdraw, Mr Speaker.

Mr Pratt: Sit down, Jon, you are pathetic.

MR SPEAKER: Thank you. Direct your comments through the chair, please, Mr Quinlan. Mr Pratt, cease your interjections.

MR QUINLAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. It has been necessary to try to put some balance into this process that we see growing over here after the decision was made to "Get down, get dirty, cut the whole bankroll and have a go-we are not doing any good."

In fact, most public reaction has been saying, "Can we get past the blame game?"That is the common theme of public reaction these days, after the McLeod inquiry, but that does not serve the purposes of an opposition that I think the Chief Minister described quite accurately earlier as being devoid of a positive idea. So they have decided to punt on it. It appears-from question time today and from motions on the business paper-that this is going to get worse. I have to say, as I have said before, that I find this disgusting.

I did rise today, in particular, to point out the difference between what Mr Pratt put before this house as his opinion on 13 November, before the fire, and how he would present that same argument again-funnily, changed completely-having total foresight. Mr Pratt, you said, and I repeat, "I believe that all ACT residents can be satisfied that our emergency services have done all that they can possibly do to prepare for this dangerous season."

MS DUNDAS (4.24): Mr Speaker-

Mr Pratt: Read the full context.

Mr Stanhope: You weren't complacent, were you?

MR SPEAKER: Order, please!

Ms Burke: Were you?

MR SPEAKER: That means you, too, Mrs Burke.

MS DUNDAS: This debate into the government's response to the McLeod report has got quite emotional. However, I do not think we can discuss the bushfires in

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .