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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 14 Hansard (10 December) . . Page.. 5099 ..

MRS CROSS: Why not?

MR SPEAKER: Mrs Cross, let me explain. It is not within his administrative responsibilities to respond to questions about the Labor Party.

MRS CROSS: What about the Electoral Act?

Mr Stanhope: You'd be better off just withdrawing your press release and apologising.

MRS CROSS: No, I am not withdrawing anything.

MR SPEAKER: I will have to rule the question out.

Mrs Dunne: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: Mrs Cross hasn't asked the question, so I don't know how you can rule it out of order.

MR SPEAKER: Mrs Cross is asking a question of the Chief Minister about the Labor Party. The Chief Minister is not responsible for the Labor Party.

MRS CROSS: Actually, the question was to the ACT parliamentary Labor Party. I made that clear. I said "parliamentary".

Mr Wood: To speak to the point of order, Mr Speaker: it has been ruled in this place and in other places before that questions of that nature, of a party-political nature, are outside the province of the parliament or this Assembly. It is established.

MRS CROSS: It relates to the Electoral Act. I can't ask a question relating to the Electoral Act?

MR SPEAKER: You can ask a question of the minister who is responsible for the Electoral Act.

MRS CROSS: Then I would like to do that.

MR SPEAKER: You can ask your question again, but it shouldn't be in the same terms as it was earlier.

MRS CROSS: To the Chief Minister?

MR SPEAKER: Yes, you can ask a question of the Chief Minister.

MRS CROSS: Thank you. Chief Minister, have you or any member of your government, including staff, had discussions with Ms Tucker's office urging a vote against the political donations bill this afternoon? Is the report on crikey.com correct?

MR STANHOPE: To the extent that the question relates to legislation on the notice paper for debate today, I don't know whether I should canvass that at this stage, Mr Speaker. The question asked me to comment on a piece of legislation scheduled for debate today.

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