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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 04 Hansard (Tuesday, 30 March 2004) . . Page.. 1251 ..

I do regard this recommendation as important. The point was made that even members who have been here for some time but have only been in government would be capable of requiring education in these quite grey areas. Therefore, along with my colleagues on the privileges committee, I am happy to commend the report to the Assembly.

Motion (by Mr Hargreaves) put:

That the debate be adjourned.

The Assembly voted—

Question so resolved in the negative.

MR HARGREAVES (11.09): I think that was a bit odd. I had merely intended to adjourn the debate. If there had been some indication from members on the other side that they wanted to continue the debate, I would not have moved that adjournment motion until later.

MR SPEAKER: You are reflecting on a vote.

MR HARGREAVES: Mr Speaker, I merely wanted to clear the record to make sure that people did not think that we were trying to be contemptuous of the rights of other members.

I note that the report suggests that a contempt has been found. I note also that it recommends that there be some form of continuing professional development. I support that particular part of the report. I think that it is necessary for new members to be educated on the pitfalls of being a member. I have mentioned that on a number of occasions in the past. Mr Cornwell and I have had conversations about the need to have this form of education in the induction program. So I think that that is a very sensible recommendation.

I have a little bit of difficulty with the second half of the first one. Mr Speaker, I do not see how you can find that there has been a contempt of the Assembly and then recommend that no action be taken. I am sorry, I do not accept the argument that there was a mistake. Paragraph 3.10 says that there was a mistake. I do not cop that argument.

We have to realise the context in which this “mistake” was made. Firstly, the member who made it was not a new member in the sense that the tenure was a couple of months old. That is not the case at all. We are talking about a mistake being made by the chair of a committee two-thirds of the way through the member’s term of office. We are talking about a person who, in addition to being chair of a committee, was a staffer in this place for a considerable length of time.

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