Page 2219 - Week 07 - Thursday, 23 June 2005
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Debate (on motion by Mr Stefaniak) adjourned to the next sitting.
Broadcasting guidelines
MR BERRY (Ginninderra) (10.59): I seek leave to move a motion concerning the resolution of the Assembly regarding the broadcasting of Assembly proceedings.
Leave granted.
MR BERRY: I move:
That the resolution of the Assembly of 7 March 2002, as amended 17 March 2005, relating to the guidelines for Broadcasting the Public Proceedings of the Legislative Assembly and its Committees, be amended by omitting paragraph (A)(6) regarding the rebroadcasting of points of order and remarks that are withdrawn.
I thank members for giving me leave to move this motion this morning.
As I announced to the house on Tuesday, it is proposed to have a trial of rebroadcasting each day’s question time on community radio 2XX. I apologise for not having drawn this to members’ attention in the meantime. However, in preparing the material for rebroadcasting it has come to light that there may be an issue relating to the guidelines that were agreed to by the Assembly in March 2002.
On page (d) of the guidelines, shown at the back of the Assembly standing orders, paragraph (A) (6) states:
Points of order and remarks that are withdrawn may not be rebroadcast;
This provision was based on similar guidelines used in rebroadcasting of proceedings of the House of Representatives. It is relevant to note that these guidelines have since been amended to allow the rebroadcast of excerpts of House of Representatives proceedings that allow words that are required to be withdrawn, as long as the withdrawal is also broadcast.
As members will be aware, it is quite common for question time to contain fairly robust exchanges of views, and on some occasions I have to require that some members withdraw certain words. Whilst I would prefer not to make such interventions and rulings, I accept that these occurrences are part and parcel of Australian parliamentary life.
I have been advised that it would be extremely difficult to edit every point of order raised, every unparliamentary word uttered and every withdrawal. In addition to the technical issues involved, it would mean any subsequent rebroadcast would be disjointed and not easy to follow.
Accordingly, I have moved the amendment today to delete the requirement to omit from the rebroadcast these exchanges. In doing so, I would like to think that members will not be encouraged by this slight relaxation of the guidelines to take more points of order or
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