Page 1693 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 21 August 2007

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wish we were not debating such a motion. Mr Hargreaves, on his own admission, said he was disappointed that he and I had words during that process, so clearly he is aware that he was out of order. He should stand up in this chamber and say, “Yes, I was out of order”, and cop it sweet. If we continue to push bad behaviour under the carpet it will never be resolved and we will never move forward. Every time this happens we will become less important in the public’s eye.

Today’s proceedings should not have been hampered by this motion but it is serious enough to warrant us taking it further. Let this be a lesson to every one of us. When we are in government and we occupy the government benches the same thing could happen to us. This motion raises the bar for all members in this place. Mr Corbell should be reminded that it is the Select Committee on Estimates, and not the opposition, that found Mr Hargreaves wanting.

Mr Corbell said that Mr Quinlan was placed on a committee that was investigating a matter in which he was involved. Again, it simply comes down to numbers; a matter with which we struggle and wrestle in this place, so that should not be an issue. We must proceed with this motion for the sake of the future of this Assembly and what we stand for in the eyes of the public. We cannot treat the estimates committee process and this place with the disdain that we do from time to time. Normally Mr Hargreaves and I get on very well.

It will not raise the level of our profile in the community if government members continue to laugh about issues such as this. Members of the community expect more from us. I include myself in these comments because sometimes I tend to get carried away. This place is like a pressure cooker, but Mr Hargreaves must start taking responsibility for his continual bad behaviour. We cannot allow that and should no longer countenance behaviour such as that in this place.

Motion (by Mr Gentleman) agreed to:

That the question be now put.

Question put:

That Mr Pratt’s motion be agreed to.

The Assembly voted—

Question so resolved in the negative.

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