Page 2274 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 16 June 2009

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Mrs Dunne: That is where you do it.

MR CORBELL: Mrs Dunne is not satisfied with having 10 minutes; she has to continue to interject. That is Mrs Dunne’s style when it comes to playing the man, Mr Speaker; thank you for calling her to order, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker, the issue of concern for me and the government is that your decision reflects a level of partisanship that we have not seen before in this place. There are no grounds—no grounds—for saying that the matter that Mr Hanson has raised with you warrants precedence. That is what this is all about at the end of the day. There are no grounds. A public servant writes a letter correcting the record; Mr Hanson takes objection and writes to you, and you give it precedence. I get letters every day from members of the opposition objecting to things I do. I do not rush off to you and seek precedence for privileges committee motions every time I get a letter like that.

Mr Speaker, that is the point: you are showing yourself to be partisan in this matter because it is in your interests to portray the government as unwilling to subject itself to scrutiny. You are allowing a political agenda to be advanced in this place ahead of your role as Speaker. For that reason, I have been given no choice but to move the dissent in your authority that I am moving today. You have acted in a partisan manner.

We can hear all the technical arguments about standing orders until the cows come home, but the issue at play today is much more important than that—whether or not you are going to inject yourself into the political debate or stand above it. You have chosen to be a player rather than the umpire. That is the real problem with your decision today, Mr Speaker, and that is why we dissent from your ruling.

Question put:

That the Speaker’s ruling be dissented from.

Ayes 6

Noes 9

Mr Barr

Mr Stanhope

Ms Bresnan

Ms Le Couteur

Ms Burch

Mr Doszpot

Mr Rattenbury

Mr Corbell

Mrs Dunne

Mr Seselja

Ms Gallagher

Mr Hanson

Mr Smyth

Mr Hargreaves

Ms Hunter

Question so resolved in the negative.

Privileges—Select Committee

Appointment

MR HANSON (Molonglo) (10.33): I move:

(1) pursuant to standing order 276, a Select Committee on Privileges be established to examine whether a breach of privilege, improper interference or influence of a Member or contempt of the Assembly has

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