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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 12 Hansard (20 November) . . Page.. 4424 ..

Mr Pratt: Not according to my understanding, Mr Speaker; the question has not been answered.

MR SPEAKER: Well, I have just had a point of order raised by Mr Smyth and I have undertaken to have a look at the notice paper and see if I can find this question.

MR WOOD: They were too timid to ask the question. It is absolute nonsense that they have been going on with.

MR SPEAKER: We cannot find it on today's notice paper. Minister.

MR WOOD: I will answer the question. In any event, I think we have had rulings here before that you do not necessarily wipe things off because there has been some mention of them elsewhere. The fact is that the decision that I took, such as it was, was an acknowledgment simply of what has been happening for quite some time. The horses have been on agistment for a year. The decision was made earlier that Mr Humphries's indulgence was not working and the horses have been out on pasture for a year at Hall. That is the simple answer. It is my wish, as minister for police-

Mrs Dunne: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The question number is 1050.

MR SPEAKER: Ms MacDonald, could you repeat your question, please?

MS MacDONALD: Thank you, Mr Speaker. There has been some noise today about the decision to disband the mounted police team. Could the minister inform the Assembly of the circumstances surrounding this decision?

Mrs Dunne: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Ms MacDonald has asked about the disbanding of the mounted police unit. Mr Pratt's question 1050 asked for details about the productivity report into the viability of the mounted police unit. The viability of the mounted police unit goes directly to whether or not it was disbanded. I would submit that, until there is an answer to this question, Ms MacDonald's question cannot be asked.

MR SPEAKER: That is a frivolous point of order. If you try that one on again, you will be in trouble.

MR WOOD: I can understand why the opposition is very keen for me to be sat down and not to answer this question, because they are in a very difficult circumstance. This indulgence by Mr Humphries when he was police minister some years ago simply has not worked out and it was the responsibility of me, as the police minister, to ask the question: are these horses viable the way they are structured at the moment? The answer came back: "Well, no. They have been on agistment for quite some time-

Members interjecting-

MR WOOD: I did not know they were on agistment when they were put out there. It was not my decision that they go out there.

MR SPEAKER: Order! The minister's time has expired.

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