Page 2658 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 23 June 2009
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MR HANSON: I am asking the question of what the Greens will do on this line item; what they are going to say about accountability. Words are easy, but sometimes you do have to stand up and you do have to be counted—and it does take risk. It is sometimes a difficult thing to do, but sometimes you do have to stand up and be counted. What is without doubt, though, what clearly has happened—
Ms Gallagher: Vote against it then. You have not voted against one line item this morning.
MR HANSON: What clearly has happened is that the Chief Minister has been criticised, and when he gets criticised he does not like it. Remember the letter that was written? “Quick, write a letter attacking the reporting in the Canberra Times.” Remember that one, Katy? He does not like the criticism, does he?
Ms Gallagher: The world’s greatest letter writer. Don’t talk to me about writing letters.
MR HANSON: He does not like it. The Chief Minister did that. The Auditor-General says—
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mr Hanson, refer your comments through the chair, please.
MR HANSON: Yes, Madam Deputy Speaker. Well, you could ask her to stop referring comments to me, maybe.
Ms Gallagher: Every time you get your feelings hurt, there is a letter: “Dear Mr Speaker, I had my feelings hurt. Please let the rest of the Assembly know. Help me.”
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Ms Gallagher, this is not a conversation across the chamber.
MR HANSON: What we are seeing from this government is that when they are criticised they attack the criticism. They attack; it is the only way that they know how to defend. They do not worry about the issues. They attack.
Mr Corbell: You want to exempt yourself from defamation issues, Jeremy. That is what you want.
MR HANSON: Again, this is my point: if I attack, it is defamation. This is the hostility, this is the attack, this is the sort of behaviour that we are seeing from this government, and this is what we saw on Friday when the Chief Minister attacked the Auditor-General.
MR SESELJA (Molonglo—Leader of the Opposition) (11.45): Mr Corbell has twice moved to stand up. I was going to give him the opportunity, but again he chose not to. I am not quite sure why he keeps avoiding this debate. Perhaps he wants to wait till he
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