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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 09 Hansard (Wednesday, 18 August 2004) . . Page.. 3889 ..

Mrs Dunne: I want to know under what standing order he is making a point of order.

Mr Stanhope: No, I am making a point of order. Sit down.

Mrs Dunne: No, you have to do it in accordance with the standing orders.

MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! The Chief Minister is taking a point of order. This may well be a matter for a substantive motion, not something that is to be debated on the adjournment. I am trying to establish where we are with this, Chief Minister.

Mr Stanhope: We have a member of this place interfering in the operation of a significant piece of legislation, namely the Public Interest Disclosure Act. Over the past week, accusations have been levelled at the minister in relation to a matter about which, as a result of the operation of that legislation, she has no notice, nor should she have. This place is being abused by the Liberal Party in relation to the operation of a significant piece of legislation. The public interest disclosure legislation cannot operate if people in this place are going to bring into this place and use information they should not have—which has been leaked to them inappropriately—to attack the government and a minister who quite rightly does not have access to that information. This is an appalling abuse of the law and of processes of this place. You should rule that it is completely out of order for a member to come in here and, I believe, quite deliberately undermine the operation of a significant piece of territory legislation.

MRS BURKE: On the point of order. I draw the Chief Minister’s attention to a resolution agreed by the Assembly on 4 May 1995—exercise of freedom of speech—that the Legislative Assembly considers that in speaking in the Assembly or in a committee members should take the following matters into account: the need to exercise their valuable right of freedom of speech in a responsible manner. I believe this is a responsible manner. I say to the Chief Minister and the Minister for Education and Training that I will not be tabling this document. I will show the minister and the Treasurer if they wish. I received the same information as the minister. The public interest disclosure was given to me, Mrs Jacqui Burke, ACT shadow minister for family and community services; Ms Katy Gallagher, Minister for Education and Training, and Minister for Children, Youth and Family Support; the ACT Ombudsman; and the ACT Auditor-General. Mr Deputy Speaker, I put it to you that this letter is dated 19 January. Given processes that happen in this place, I understand the minister’s concern that she is saying she has not seen the information. I find it extraordinary that six, seven, eight months have gone by—

MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! The member’s time has expired.

Totalcare Industries

MS GALLAGHER (Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Children, Youth and Family Support, Minister for Women and Minister for Industrial Relations) (5.21): I have not received any information to do with this matter.

Mr Stanhope: Just repeat that.

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