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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 06 Hansard (Wednesday, 23 June 2004) . . Page.. 2489 ..

Mrs Cross: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: the petition could not be tabled in the morning because it was an out-of-order petition, which is why we had to seek leave to do it this way.

MR SPEAKER: That is not a point of order, Mrs Cross.

MR CORBELL: Mr Speaker, the Assembly is now 15 minutes past its usual conclusion period for the morning. If Mrs Cross wants to make a speech about a particular matter that is not on the notice paper, the normal time to do that is during the adjournment debate. Equally, the presentation of petitions that are out of order is usually done by the leader of government business, who is responsible for tabling those petitions. That is how every other out-of-order petition is dealt with in this place and I do not understand why Mrs Cross chooses to do it this way, except that maybe she feels that she has got something more to gain from doing it this way. But there are norms for this place and Mrs Cross has chosen to ignore every one of them in doing this the way she is choosing to do it today.

MR SMYTH (Leader of the Opposition) (12.44): Mr Speaker, that is why you would seek leave to table it. The member sought leave. There was an agreement between the whips and the crossbenchers—

Mr Hargreaves: There was no agreement, none.

MR SPEAKER: Order! Mr Smyth has the floor. Order, Mr Hargreaves!

MR SMYTH: I am told that there was an agreement that this would occur just before the suspension for lunch. That is why we have the provisions that members can seek leave. Mr Corbell makes the case that you have got to follow the rules all the time. One of the standing orders is that members can seek leave to do something. If the member has done that, it is up to the Assembly to decide whether or not she gets that leave.

But I guess it is because of the embarrassment we see from the other side that they do not want this expression of the community tabled and they do not want this expression of the community recognised because they would want it done at some other time. I think what we should do is just put the question, Mr Speaker.

Question put:

That Mrs Cross’s motion be agreed to.

The Assembly voted—

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