Page 1054 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 16 March 2005
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Mrs Burke: You’ve got them all.
MR SPEAKER: Order!
MR QUINLAN: There were, as I recall, a number of such claims made before the election—“People are ringing my office. People are coming up to us in the street. We have been out there campaigning and this is what people are saying.” As I have said, the results are on the board and what was said at that time? What was claimed before the election was totally inconsistent with what happened on election day. Draw your own conclusion, and we have drawn our conclusions. This is just another nonsense motion by an opposition that are still quite puerile in their political tactics.
I move:
That the motion be now put.
Mrs Dunne: Mr Speaker, there is a list of people to speak, and you do not have to put that motion.
MR SPEAKER: I have the discretion not to put it, Mrs Dunne, but there have been three speakers on either side and one from the cross-bench, and I think I am entitled to proceed with the debate and put it in the hands—
Mrs Dunne: Mr Speaker, if you persist, I will move dissent from your ruling.
MR SPEAKER: Do not threaten me, Mrs Dunne. I think you had better move it.
Dissent from ruling
MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (11.50): Mr Speaker, I seek leave to move dissent from your ruling.
Leave granted.
MRS DUNNE: I move:
That the Speaker’s ruling be dissented from.
Mr Speaker, there is a list of members who wish to speak on this matter. It is a serious matter, probably the second most serious matter than can be brought before the Legislative Assembly. The motion was brought forward with intent to discuss the issues at length. Obviously the government wanted to discuss it. Yesterday I was not able to negotiate to have the matter listed first and the government did us a favour. So they thought that it was important. Now, once a couple of people have had their say, they wish to close the debate down.
This is not how a democracy works. There is a list of people wanting to speak. The standing orders give you discretion, Mr Speaker, but yesterday you declined a motion that the question be put because there were still people wanting to speak. When you gave Mr Quinlan the call, at least two members on this side stood in their places to speak. So
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