Page 3052 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 17 October 2007
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claims that I made a decision or that I was involved in a decision that surveillance be undertaken is a liar.
Mr Pratt: They’re more bloody trustworthy than you, Chief Minister.
MR STANHOPE: They are a liar. They are trustworthy, but they will not name themselves. That is how trustworthy they are.
MR STEFANIAK (Ginninderra—Leader of the Opposition) (3.43): I will contribute to this debate. Mr Pratt has indicated to the Chief Minister—to the house, actually—his source. He has indicated that the reason he wanted to suspend standing orders was because he cannot table documents. But, in terms of what the Chief Minister says, there are a growing number of people I speak to out there who are public servants and who are frustrated, we have discovered, and also terrified that they will be punished and that they will be sacked. So lift your game.
MR SPEAKER: Order! Mr Stefaniak, if you do not stick to the subject matter of the question, I will order you to sit down. Do you want to continue?
MR STEFANIAK: Mr Speaker, given that Mr Pratt has actually said what he intended to say, I do not think that we need to suspend standing orders.
MR HARGREAVES (Brindabella—Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Minister for Housing and Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (3.44): I do not think the Assembly should support the motion to suspend standing orders so that Mr Pratt can, in fact, continue in some form of debate to insinuate that either the Chief Minister or I had anything to do with an issue on the basis of putting forward somebody’s word—it is hearsay. Mr Speaker, these are almost grounds for a motion of grave concern, that this parliamentary process is being abused. A member can get up in this place and try to suspend standing orders so that they can continue a spurious attack on another member. I do not think that is on. I think Mr Pratt ought to have the courage to stand up now in the context of this debate on the suspension of standing orders and apologise, one, for wasting its time and, two, for not being able to produce a shred of evidence.
MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (3.45): It is ironic, Mr Speaker, but I am going to speak about the government’s propensity in this sitting period—
Mr Stefaniak interjecting—
MRS DUNNE: Bill.
Mr Stefaniak: I was just explaining something.
MR SPEAKER: No violence in the chamber, please!
Mr Hargreaves: Smack him, smack him! Give him a smack.
MRS DUNNE: I am going to speak about the propensity of the government in this sitting to waste time. We saw it yesterday when, rather than let someone finish a
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