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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 12 Hansard (19 November) . . Page.. 4363 ..

MRS BURKE: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am moving this amendment because, while most of Ms Dundas's motion is useful, it seemed a trifle bitsy when we consider the voluminous report of the affordable housing task force published this year. This amendment merely seeks an update on the action on and implementation of the task force recommendations for the information of members, and I think it is highly relevant given that the wording in Ms Dundas's motion is: "... recognising the need to increase the availability of affordable housing in the ACT".

MR SPEAKER: Did you have a point of order, Mr Quinlan?

Mr Quinlan: Yes, Mr Speaker. I submit that this amendment is out of order in as much as it is not particularly relevant to the motion itself. The motion talks about incentives and concessions, and then all of a sudden we have gone to a whole different process, which is on foot, I have to say, the affordable housing task force-and some reports have already been given, and more will be given. I seek your ruling that this goes well beyond the spirit of the original motion.

MR SPEAKER: Can I take that on notice while the debate flows in relation to this matter. Mrs Dunne, do you want to speak in relation to the point of order?

Mrs Dunne: Yes, I do, Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER: Well, do so now.

Mrs Dunne: Mr Speaker, I think it is worth noting that the amendment asks the government to report on where it is with the affordable housing task force recommendations. It only relates to the sentence at the end. We are not asking the government to do any further investigation. And that it is entirely within the spirit of "recognising the need to increase the availability of affordable housing".

MR SPEAKER: Having had time to take a couple of deep breaths about this, I have taken the view that, pursuant to standing order 140, every amendment must be relevant to the question which it proposes to amend. Now I know that somebody will leap up soon and say, "Well, it is relevant. It says 'affordable housing' somewhere and this is about affordable housing."But the real question-and this is a matter which has been dealt with by me and previous Speakers-is about how far it widens the scope of debate on a particular issue.

The question that is before us from Ms Dundas is about land tax concessions for landlords and more effective financial incentives for the installation of energy and water efficiency appliances and so on. What Mrs Burke seeks to do is to have the government report on the affordable housing task force which, my guess is without knowing the full detail of that, is a report which would be complex and quite wide in scope.

So I rule this amendment out of order because it just widens the scope of the motion far too much.

Mrs Dunne: On the ruling, Mr Speaker, without wanting to appear to dissent from your ruling, which I do not, I would like to raise with you the issue that there have been a

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