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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 04 Hansard (Thursday, 1 April 2004) . . Page.. 1474 ..

about how we should resolve that and the committee acted upon it. The Select Committee on Privileges has reviewed all of that information and has come to a conclusion, and I accept their judgement. As I do today, as I did last time this was discussed on Tuesday, I apologise unreservedly to the members of this place and to the ACT community for this lapse of judgement, for this failure on my part. And I do that unreservedly, and I hope that Mr Wood this time listens to what is being said.

Whilst having no problem in apologising—because generally, as a rule, I do not have a problem with apologising when I have done the wrong thing—I would hope that the members of the Labor Party in this place who are supporting this motion do not spend their time saying, “Well, it wasn’t in the form that I would have liked” or “It wasn’t contrite enough” or “You haven’t done it enough times.” Mr Speaker, on my reckoning the records of this Assembly show that I have given an unreserved apology five times.

But we need to look at the issues that are before us today. I am a member who stands here contrite because I have made a mistake, and I have apologised for that. I am a member who has been subjected to the scrutiny of my peers and been found wanting, and I admit that. But I am a member who is also the victim of base politics, and this motion today is a motion about base politics. We all indulge in base politics to some extent or another, because it is part of our job description. We are politicians, and in being politicians we practice politics.

But one of the things that we have to try and do as much as possible is rise above the baseness. We have to question the motivation of the people who come in here today and say certain things, despite the recommendations of the Select Committee on Privileges. Recommendation 1 of the committee states:

8.8 However, the committee does find that the Chair of the Standing Committee on Planning and Environment in distributing a flyer in her name at the Belconnen Markets was in contempt of the Assembly but recommends no further action be taken.

9.9 There has been some worrying aspects to this inquiry not least of which that a member could make one simple mistake … which can put her in contempt of the Assembly. It is obvious to the committee that there is a need for continuing professional development for Members especially in relation to the various roles members must play and the distinction between those roles.

Mr Speaker, at various stages in this debate in this place, in the planning and environment committee and in the Select Committee on Privileges, I have made the point that there has been a blurring of roles and that that blurring of roles happens many times in this place. Recommendation 2 of the privileges committee states:

10.10 The committee accordingly recommends that some form of continuing professional development in parliamentary procedures and conventions be introduced for Members additional to the new Members seminar.

I think we should accept that recommendation, along with the first recommendation that I was found in contempt of the Assembly but that no further action should be taken.

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