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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 14 Hansard (10 December) . . Page.. 5187 ..

MR SPEAKER: Order! Matters of conflict of interest are matters for the Assembly to decide and it is not an imputation that I will allow in this place. It has not been allowed in the past. If you have a look at standing order 156, the same rule applies as applies in relation to claims about people misleading the Assembly. If you want to move a substantive motion on the issue, you go for your life, but imputations across the floor are very serious matters.

MR SMYTH: Mr Speaker, I take your ruling.

Let's look at Mr Osborne who, while he worked for-

Mr Corbell: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: Mr Smyth has not withdrawn the comment and I would ask him to do so.

MR SMYTH: Do you want me to withdraw it?

MR SPEAKER: Withdraw it.

MR SMYTH: Mr Speaker, I withdraw the comment.

Let's look at the example of Mr Osborne, who benefited directly from a club. Mr Osborne was directly employed by a club. Whenever matters of poker machines came up in this place, Mr Osborne absented himself from such votes because he felt there was a conflict-

Mr Quinlan: And it never made any difference to a vote.

MR SPEAKER: Order, Mr Quinlan!

Mr Quinlan: A very important point.

MR SPEAKER: Order, Mr Quinlan! Mr Smyth, you have the floor.

MR SMYTH: Mr Osborne saw that he had a direct conflict of interest, or he felt he had a direct conflict of interest and he said it regularly, and so he removed himself from the debate.

I think it does come down to informed consent and I have the Labor Party's list of donations and bits and pieces. Yes, there are some private individuals, there are some developers, there are some unions and there are even a couple of clubs on it. We can all read lists, make this innuendo and throw accusations at people, but the matter is about informed consent.

Individuals, members of clubs, possibly members of different organisations, make decisions about their clubs. I am not aware of any decision that has seen club members say they are happy for money to go to political parties. I think most members of clubs would not think of political parties as coming under that banner of community contributions.

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