Page 1496 - Week 05 - Thursday, 7 April 2005
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unhappy with him and we are going to do everything we can to try to vilify him in the eyes of the broader community.” If that is the way they want to play their politics, that is fine. We will not be playing that game. We will not be engaging in that sort of petty personal politics that we see every day from most members on the other side of this chamber.
Sadly, today—indeed, in the past 24 hours—we seem to have seen the Liberal Party reach a new low in the way it deals with other members in this place. It really does show that they cannot be trusted. They cannot even be trusted to deal with politicians in this place, let alone be trusted with the greater responsibilities that they profess to want; that is, government in this place and responsibility for leading this community. If that is the way they conduct their business in opposition, just imagine what they would be like in government. Just imagine how petty, personal and vindictive they would be in this place if they ever achieved government.
I think this signals further that, in many respects, the Leader of the Opposition has lost control of his party. The Liberal Party room is now so consumed by the personal politics of hate and vindictiveness that they have lost the plot. They have simply lost the plot. This morning we have seen an absolute waste of the Assembly’s time, an absolute and complete waste of the Assembly’s time. This no confidence motion warrants no further rebuttal from me. The arguments that we have heard from the Liberal Party are simply arguments of hate and vindictiveness. They are nothing more than that and I will not be giving them any more attention.
MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (11.15): These are important matters, Mr Speaker. To write to you about a matter that I considered might be a breach of privilege is not something that I would do lightly, and my colleagues will attest that I considered the matter fairly carefully.
I suppose we need to go back to what actually happened. On Tuesday, towards the end of question time, I had a conversation in the chamber with Dr Foskey. When I decided that I needed to write to you, Mr Speaker, about what happened in that conversation, I thought it appropriate that there should be a record of that conversation. I will now read the record of the conversation. If Dr Foskey at any time thinks that there is anything in it that is not correct, I certainly will give her leave to speak again.
Mr Quinlan: Why don’t you check with her privately first?
Dr Foskey: Excuse me. I am—
MR SPEAKER: Order! Mrs Dunne has the floor.
Dr Foskey: Can’t I take a point of order?
MR SPEAKER: You can raise a point of order.
Dr Foskey: I just want clarification on whether a private conversation—
Mr Mulcahy: Mr Speaker, that is not a point of order.
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