Page 3685 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 21 November 2007
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interfered in the democratic rule of the territory. The Liberal minister for territories refuses to entertain any amendment of the self-government act that would make our local democracy more workable—
Mr Smyth: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker, under standing orders 51 and 52. Under standing order 51 you cannot allude, and Mr Gentleman started his adjournment speech with, “I wish to allude to comments made by the Leader of the Opposition.” I seek your ruling, Mr Speaker.
MR GENTLEMAN: No, I did not allude to them, Mr Speaker.
Mr Smyth: You said, “I wish to reflect upon—
MR SPEAKER: Order! It is not a vote of the Assembly that is—
Mr Smyth: But the previous standing order is debates.
MR SPEAKER: The previous one talks about allusion to any debate or proceedings unless such allusion is relevant to the matter under discussion. It is an adjournment debate. The scope for adjournment debates is very wide. Standing order 59 goes to the issue of whether one can anticipate discussion of any subject and I have got to have regard to whether the matter is going to be brought on soon, and I think that is unlikely.
Mr Smyth: Who is to know it will come back?
MR SPEAKER: I have got nothing to draw a conclusion that it is going to be brought on soon.
MR GENTLEMAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I just want to finish off. The Liberal minister for territories refuses to entertain any amendment to the self-government act that would then make our local democracy more workable and more representative. That same minister wanted us to tear down a memorial to the SIEV X, labelling the memorial to 353 people who lost their lives attempting to come to this country “a political stunt”. The National Party Minister for Transport and Regional Services believes that national roads and their funding end at the point where the road enters the ACT. And, of course, there is no point in even raising the question of railway funding with him unless, of course, it is to be built by Halliburton in the Northern Territory.
The Liberal Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations has torn the heart out of the working conditions of his own staff and all other employees in the ACT with Work Choices. And who can ever forget the contribution of the Liberal member for Moreton, Australia’s first Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, to the destruction of freedom of speech by banning the Chief Minister from speaking at an Australia Day citizenship ceremony?
The Liberal minister for housing is redirecting funding from public sector housing to some nebulous scheme of his own devising. Furthermore, he keeps speaking untruths
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