Page 879 - Week 03 - Thursday, 10 March 2005
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Motorcyclists—annual meeting
MR PRATT: My question is to the Minister for Police and Emergency Services. Minister, the Ulysses Club for veteran motorcyclists is having its annual general meeting. Members of this club have been threatened by members of the Rebels Motorcycle Club, in fact, an outlaw motorcycle gang, simply because the Ulysses Club members are wearing motorcycle jackets with emblems on them. I refer to a statement by a member of the Ulysses Club in today’s Canberra Times, and I quote, “This has destroyed our holiday. Canberra now sucks for me.” He goes on to say, “The police apparently are unable to do anything to protect us.”
Why are the police apparently unable to do anything to protect visitors to Canberra from intimidation by an outlaw motorcycle club? Who is running this town: the government or the Rebels Motorcycle Club?
MR HARGREAVES: I would like to take Mr Pratt’s last question first. Who is running this town: the government or the Rebels Motorcycle Club? I will tell you who is not running this town. The federal government is not running this town. Neither is the opposition running this town. The opposition is irrelevant to the process.
Mrs Dunne: On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Under standing order 118(a), I ask the minister to be relevant.
MR HARGREAVES: I am answering his question.
Mrs Dunne: His question was: who is running this town—the government or the Rebel Motorcycle Gang? The minister cannot go on about the federal government or the opposition. He was asked a direct question.
MR SPEAKER: Mr Pratt asked who was running this town. Mr Hargreaves was less than a minute into his answer and you are trying to pull him up. I would like to hear his response.
Mrs Dunne: On the point of order, Mr Speaker?
MR SPEAKER: Yes.
Mrs Dunne: Mr Pratt did not ask Mr Hargreaves who was not running this town. We could come up with a long list of people who are not running this town.
MR SPEAKER: That is a frivolous point of order. Resume your seat.
MR HARGREAVES: If Mr Pratt is unhappy with the laws of this territory, he can get his mates on the hill to override the lot.
Mr Smyth: No, he is unhappy with your—
Mr Pratt: It’s poor law.
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