Page 3725 - Week 12 - Thursday, 22 November 2007
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MR STANHOPE: I am sure you won’t find Jackie Kelly or the Liberal Party providing public funds to celebrate Islamic holidays such as Ramadan. I find it remarkable that the Liberal Party—
Mr Pratt: You’re misleading.
MR STANHOPE: would put a position through their deputy leader that family and community day is not a day worthy of celebration.
Mr Hargreaves: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: could Mr Pratt please withdraw the accusation of misleading the house.
MR SPEAKER: I did not hear it.
Mr Hargreaves: I did, very clearly.
MR SPEAKER: If you did—
Mr Pratt: I withdraw that, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: Thank you.
MRS BURKE: I ask a supplementary question. Treasurer, how many people attended this year’s family and community fun day? What was the approximate cost per head?
MR STANHOPE: I understand that there were some thousands of attendees—thousands, I understand. The Deputy Chief Minister and the—
Ms Gallagher: I was there, too.
MR STANHOPE: There were a number of members of the Labor government that attended. I understand that not a single member of the Liberal Party or the opposition within the Assembly felt that the celebration of family and community was worthy of their attendance. They shunned and boycotted the formal part of the celebration. I am sure they all enjoyed the holiday. I am not quite sure that there were many—
Ms Gallagher: There were no cars in the car park.
MR STANHOPE: There were no cars in the Legislative Assembly car park at any time, particularly not in the Liberal Party part of the car park, just, of course, as there were no cars at the chamber of commerce, the major antagonist and major opponent of the event. No only were there no cars in the chamber of commerce car park on the Tuesday; we understand that there were no cars in the chamber of commerce car park on the Monday. Chris Peters actually provided a full four-day holiday for members of the chamber of commerce and himself after roundly criticising and condemning the celebration of family and community day.
The public holiday was not compulsory. Those members of the Liberal Party or of the opposition who chose to work or who would have liked to work I am sure would have
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