Page 3761 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 27 August 2008
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Mr Mulcahy: She raised the issue of schools, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: She raised the issue of trust, Mr Mulcahy.
MR STANHOPE: The supplementary question was about trust, and let us go to trust. The question asked of me by Mrs Dunne was about trust. Yesterday, I trusted the opposition in this place; I trusted the Leader of the Opposition; I trusted the Liberal Party to honour a commitment made to me that, if I was to attend a function as Chief Minister at which I was the guest of honour, the Liberal Party would not use my absence to cast a vote against the government to the government’s disadvantage. This goes to the heart of trust. This goes to the workings of this Assembly. This goes to our conventions. This goes to the Westminster system of government. This goes to the capacity of a government to govern. This goes to a simple courtesy. This goes to matters of honour. When the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Seselja, says to me, “Chief Minister, we will grant you a pair. We will allow you to attend to the business of government. We will not use your absence while you attend to the business of government—
Mr Pratt: It was a minor mistake.
MR SPEAKER: Order!
MR STANHOPE: It was a minor mistake! This matter of honour, this question of basic integrity and trust was just a mistake. Mr Seselja stands and declares on his honour and on the honour of his party that he will not use my absence to profit from my absence, and what do they do? The minute I am out, they renege, they recant, they cancel—
Mrs Burke: On a point of order under standing order 118 (a), Mr Speaker, the Chief Minister continues with this diatribe. I believe the supplementary question was whether the people of Flynn will be able to trust the Chief Minister given the treatment of them in this case. The Chief Minister should be relevant, please.
MR SPEAKER: Mrs Dunne raised the question of trust, and there was a clear imputation there. The Chief Minister is entitled to respond to it. I think it would be timely, now, to connect it to the schools issue.
MR STANHOPE: I will conclude on this remark, as I think I have made the point: I find it quite staggering that anybody in the Liberal Party today would dare to raise with me an issue of trust after the most egregious breach of trust which we all witnessed last night. It was a breach of faith, a breaking of a word, a lack of integrity, a dishonouring of a convention, and a deliberate attempt to disadvantage the government while I was absent after promising that no such thing would be done. Do not talk to me about trust.
Legislative Assembly library
DR FOSKEY: My question is to the Minister for Territory and Municipal Services and concerns the review of the Assembly and government library that was conducted
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .