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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 09 Hansard (Wednesday, 18 August 2004) . . Page.. 3838 ..

I have found it difficult to reconcile to myself why I am in this place while some other member is on his or her feet delivering a speech that adds nothing to a debate.

Mrs Dunne: As you say!

MR QUINLAN: It is repetitious! It is a speech that contains points that are—

Mrs Dunne: I wish to raise a point of order. Mr Quinlan has used the word “repetitious” five times in this speech. I think he is in breach of standing order 62.

MR SPEAKER: Mrs Dunne, if I were to apply that rule in this place, we would be going home very early on most days!

Mrs Dunne: We would be.

MR QUINLAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. It was a point well made, Mrs Dunne, in your own way. I think we ought to look at the structure we allow, so that discipline is imposed on members. Everybody has a right to speak, but we also have a right not to remain captive to a conga line of irrelevance or repetition from time to time.

While I am on my feet I may as well have another crack at extending this philosophy to questions on notice. We have broken records with the questions on notice, the bulk of which have come to nothing. That again is an indicator and a confirmation that there is no discipline or focus in thinking. There is not, it seems to me, the ability to filter and discern relevance from irrelevance.

I will tell you how far these questions on notice go. I have a question on notice at the moment from the Leader of the Opposition that asks if I have ABS figures that show so and so—and if I can provide them. Just to confirm that the Leader of the Opposition could have obtained them himself if he were not so lazy, one of my staff accessed the attendants’ computer to look up the figures in question.

During the course of this Assembly we have had a certain untidiness coming through. I do not know whether it was all part of a cunning plan to wear the government down, or to demonstrate to the world at large that, “We are really doing our job: look at us! We are doing our job—we are still here after midnight!” That convinces me of very little, other than that there are a number of people in this place who can bang on unnecessarily.

MS DUNDAS (12.07): I thank the Treasurer for his brief nine-minute speech on the topic of how long it takes us to get through the business of the day. I support the sentiment of the motion put forward by Ms MacDonald this morning, as I agree that sitting until the small hours of the morning does not necessarily improve the quality of decision making by Assembly members and, in fact, has the ability to hinder the decision-making ability.

I also agree that this Assembly will never be a family-friendly workplace while members cannot confidently predict when they will be able to finish for the day and leave to pick up their children, resume their caring duties, or spend time keeping their family together. Mrs Dunne put forward the point that this is the job that we sign up for; that we know we are signing up for long hours. I will not deny that but, if we stand here and say it is okay

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