Page 485 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 10 February 2009
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This is an important matter. This is a matter that must be dealt with immediately it comes to the attention of the Assembly. It is unheard of that a matter of this type be put off. It is cowardly for the member not to give leave for this to be—
Mr Corbell: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The member is casting aspersions on my character. It is most disorderly and I ask the member to withdraw.
MRS DUNNE: If you ask me to withdraw, Mr Speaker, I will withdraw.
MR SPEAKER: Thank you.
Mr Hargreaves: Mr Speaker, on that point, it is usually the case that members withdraw without reservation. She said, “If you ask me to do so.” That is a qualified withdrawal.
MR SPEAKER: Mrs Dunne, please withdraw the imputation.
MRS DUNNE: I withdraw unqualifiedly. Since you have asked me, I will withdraw. If I have not adhered to the forms of the house, I do apologise.
This is an important matter. It must be dealt with as a matter of high priority. The manager of government business, I am sure, will stand up and tell us just how much government business we have to get through, but, in fact, on Thursday there is almost no government business. I understand that there are no government bills scheduled to be dealt with on Thursday. We do have the time to do it. Whether or not we have the time is immaterial. This is an important matter. It must be dealt with now because it goes to the heart of the way the Attorney-General conducts himself, the way the Attorney-General upholds the laws of the ACT and the way the Attorney-General upholds the conventions that are imposed upon him as the first law officer.
MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Water, Minister for Energy and Minister for Police and Emergency Services) (2.56): I oppose the motion to suspend standing orders. The reason for that is not because of a lack of time to deal with this matter but because the government believes the Liberal Party is being disingenuous when it suggests that this matter is of the highest and most important urgency and must be dealt with straight away.
If that was the case, why did not Mrs Dunne stand up at the beginning of question time and seek to suspend standing orders then? That is the normal practice in this place. If it is urgent, you suspend standing orders; you do it straight away and you get on with the debate. But Mrs Dunne did not do that. Clearly, question time was more important than this motion. Clearly, the opposition questioning the government was more important than this motion.
This is not a censure motion or a no confidence motion. It is not that type of motion. Indeed, it is a motion that simply expresses a concern about actions that Mrs Dunne believes warrant debate in this place. I am very happy to have that debate, Mr Speaker, but I do not believe that it warrants suspending the business of this place now to do so.
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