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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 03 Hansard (Wednesday, 10 March 2004) . . Page.. 986 ..

definition that life does not commence before the first breath. As far as the Chief Minister and his ragged bill of rights are concerned, life does not commence before the first breath.

Mr Hargreaves: Mr Speaker, I wish to raise a point of order. Mr Pratt, in talking about flawed this and ragged that, is reflecting on a debate of this Assembly with regard to the bill of rights.

Mrs Dunne: I also rise on the point of order, Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER: I will deal with this one first. I think Mr Pratt described the bill of rights as the ragged bill of rights.

MR PRATT: That is correct.

MR SPEAKER: The ragged bill of rights, as he so described it, was the subject of a debate where the bill of rights was endorsed by this Assembly. I would regard that as a reflection on the vote.

Mrs Dunne: On that point of order, I would have thought that one of the reasons for which we cannot have a reflection on a vote is that a reflection on a vote is to say that we should not have voted in a particular way. That is—

MR SPEAKER: I think the implied message in Mr Pratt’s description of the bill is pretty clear.

Mrs Dunne: May I finish the point?

MR SPEAKER: You may.

Mrs Dunne: I was trying to say that, as I understand it, the reason we do not reflect on a vote is because we have to have a substantive motion to repeal a vote; and therefore you should only reflect on a vote by a substantive motion; but that does not stop us pondering on a motion or a matter that has passed before us. That would otherwise mean that we could never discuss anything in this place that may have been previously discussed.

MR SPEAKER: Let me dwell on it for a moment. I take your point, Mrs Dunne.

Mrs Dunne: Thank you, Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER: The point Mrs Dunne makes is that describing a bill does not necessarily mean you are reflecting on the vote.

MR PRATT: My concern was to make the connection between the bill of rights and the sorts of issues we are discussing here today. The government is adamant about shutting down all discussion about the debate on life and the rights of the unborn. I welcome the comment the Chief Minister has made today in referring to chapter 5 of his new Criminal Code that, some time in the future, he will be looking at the issue of death or injury to the unborn, clearly as an extension of assault on women.

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