Page 870 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 24 February 2009

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .

---

Minister so that perhaps he can go around and monster them, because this is what will happen. The Chief Minister says, like in a fairy tale, “Give them my address so that I can go and be nice to them.” The other alternative is that he will send people around to monster them and tell them that they are quite wrong; that they should not feel frustrated, because he is Jon Stanhope and he is here to help them.

There are 39 families who are clearly unable to borrow money, who are out of pocket, who have paid substantial fees, who have paid stamp duty and who are now out of pocket, who have blocks of land or are in the process of taking possession of blocks of land that they cannot build on because no-one will lend them the money. These people do not have $100,000, $200,000 or $300,000 put away somewhere as cash to build these houses, and they cannot borrow.

The point is that Mr Stanhope has been extraordinarily inconvenienced and discomfited by the revelations that his pet scheme does not work and, as a response to that, he has behaved in an inappropriate way today, demanding names and addresses of people.

Members of the opposition deal with their constituents on a confidential basis. If I write to a minister about a constituent’s problems I seek their permission to do so. If the constituent specifically says to me, “I do not want you to take this up” or “I want you to keep my identity confidential,” it is my responsibility as an elected member to do so. As a result of that, even if we suspend standing orders, and even if the Chief Minister succeeds in passing his motion, we cannot comply with it and meet our responsibilities as members in this place.

MR SPEAKER: The time for the debate has now expired.

Question put:

That standing orders be suspended.

The Assembly voted—

Question so resolved in the affirmative.

MR STANHOPE (Ginninderra—Chief Minister, Minister for Transport, Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Minister for Business and Economic Development, Minister for Indigenous Affairs and Minister for the Arts and Heritage) (3.07): I move:

---

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .