Page 3539 - Week 09 - Thursday, 21 August 2008
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Leave granted to dispense with the detail stage.
Bill agreed to.
Adjournment
Motion (by Mr Barr) proposed:
That the Assembly do now adjourn.
Chief Minister—suspension
MR PRATT (Brindabella) (9.29): I quickly want to refer to a matter around an incident that we saw occurring here yesterday in the chamber, a sensitive matter. I am going to reflect not on the incident itself but on what has happened since in the media. I refer to the expulsion of the Chief Minister yesterday from this place. In relation to his being thrown out of the chamber yesterday, Mr Stanhope repeatedly stated in the media that he had not heard you, Mr Speaker—
MR SPEAKER: Mr Pratt, I fear that you are about to reflect on a vote of the Assembly.
MR PRATT: No, no.
MR SPEAKER: Just to remind you of the process, my role in this is to name the member. Then the Assembly decides on the outcome. You should be wary about reflecting on a vote of the Assembly.
MR PRATT: I do not have any issue with decisions taken in this place yesterday. I will not be reflecting on the Speaker or the Speaker’s decisions. I intend to reflect on the behaviour of the Chief Minister and the statements made by him in the media since his expulsion from the chamber yesterday, because it needs to be put on the record. I will take care not to contravene rulings or matters of order that have occurred in this place.
MR SPEAKER: To be fair, you should also mention that he apologised to the house.
MR PRATT: Yes. Mr Speaker having raised that, I will put back on the record that, against the background of what occurred yesterday, the Chief Minister did apologise to the house for his conduct yesterday. There is no question about that.
What I am reflecting on here is the spin doctoring which has occurred outside the chamber, beyond the rightful apology that he made—and he should have made one too, by the way. On 2CC this morning, and in the media overnight, he said that he had not heard that he had been warned. There is of course a chance that he did not hear that he had been warned, because of his belligerent, bellicose and extremely loud, rambling behaviour. That might be the case. That may be the case. But it would appear to those who witnessed the occasion that he was so shocked at having been warned that he instantly sprang to his feet. He has said in the media that he really did
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .