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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 06 Hansard (Thursday, 24 June 2004) . . Page.. 2714 ..

you like, Mr Smyth, but you have to applaud the global vision of this minister. Those opposite do not have global vision and are never going to get it. They should be withdrawing this motion and this amendment. I urge Ms Dundas to reconsider this amendment and to consider the relativity of it. Let us hope that you do not embarrass yourself.

MR CORNWELL (9.24): This motion against Mr Corbell is really not about policy differences over health and planning issues or financial and funding results of the minister’s portfolios, as Labor has attempted to portray. It is about (1) the minister’s misleading the Assembly; (2) fulfilling the requirements of the code of conduct; and (3) this parliament’s public duty to hold ministers accountable. This Assembly of 17 members, 17 individuals, is not a private fiefdom to do with as we each like. Fortunately, this has been recognised within the Assembly itself. First of all, in recognising it, my colleague Mr Stefaniak has identified three issues where the Minister for Health and Minister for Planning has misled the Assembly. On two occasions of seven opportunities and another occasion of three, he has failed to correct these mistakes.

I appreciate that the government is conscious that such behaviour is unacceptable because it has put out a code of conduct. It states, in part:

Ministers will ensure their conduct does not bring discredit upon the government or Territory.

The set-up of this Assembly means that inevitably you will not always get what you want, as the Chief Minister found to his cost yesterday on, I think, three occasions. The fact of the matter is, however, that you have to be very careful that, even if you do not get what you want, you do not mislead the Assembly in an attempt to gloss over problems perhaps through ignorance or whatever. We have something that was spoken of earlier tonight by the government—it is called the dignity of the House. We, in this ACT Assembly, have a particular need to maintain this dignity. We have had 15 years so far of struggle for acceptance of this place by the people of the ACT. They are very quick to condemn our behaviour. Unfortunately, all parliaments suffer from this, but we suffer a little more because we are right on the spot 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We are very much under the scrutiny of the people of the ACT—the people, I would remind you, whom we represent. They are quick to note when ministers in this place show contempt for the decisions of the Assembly. This minister has certainly done that in the past. I remember Nettlefold Street in Belconnen.

Mr Wood: Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I ask this speaker to keep to the terms of the motion, which is one of the standing orders. This has nothing to do with decisions of the Assembly on Nettlefold Street. There are statements on the no confidence motion and they have no reference to other issues. Mr Cornwell, a former Speaker, should be brought to order.

MR CORNWELL: Mr Speaker, may I seek your patience?

MR SPEAKER: I think there is a fair bit of contextualising going on here.

MR CORNWELL: May I seek your patience? All will be revealed, sir.

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