Page 1137 - Week 03 - Thursday, 18 March 2010
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result of this government’s actions in relation to this area. That is what we have done. It is what we will continue to do. That is how the market is responding and that is how first home buyers and young families are responding.
I ask that all further questions be placed on the notice paper. I will save land rent till next week.
Ministerial responsibility
MR SMYTH (Brindabella): Mr Speaker, I seek your advice—and you might like to review the Hansard and what you actually said—in regard to the first question asked by the Leader of the Opposition today, which did mention the Greens-Labor agreement and which you ruled out of order. I refer you to standing order 114. I remind you that the question was, of course, to the Treasurer. I refer you to standing order 114 which says:
Questions may be put to a Minister relating to public affairs with which that Minister is officially connected, to proceedings pending in the Assembly or to any matter of administration for which the Minister is responsible.
I would contend that this is a matter relating to a public affair with which the minister is officially connected. I refer you to the ABC website, 11 November 2008, where it says that Labor had appointed the Deputy Chief Minister, Katy Gallagher, the party’s liaison officer with the Greens. Given that is a public matter—
Ms Gallagher: Check the AAOs.
Mr Stanhope: Is that the AAOs, is it?
Ms Gallagher: You are usually a bit better than this, Brendan.
MR SPEAKER: Order! Mr Smyth has the floor.
MR SMYTH: Given that this is a public matter—and we know that the government has used, for instance, Treasury to cost Greens’ promises and the Greens-Labor agreement, so there is a public cost to which the Treasurer is actually connected—I would ask you to review what you have said as to whether or not it is appropriate to ask questions in that context.
MR SPEAKER: Thank you, Mr Smyth. I am happy to do that.
MR HARGREAVES (Brindabella): Mr Speaker, on that, if I may address for your attention Mr Smyth’s suggestion to you, I might also ask you to give consideration, in terms of whether or not a minister is connected with any particular subject of public affairs, that a minister’s responsibilities, in fact, are delivered to that minister by the Chief Minister under authority of this Assembly, under the administrative arrangements orders. The administrative arrangements orders actually detail the acts of this Assembly for which a minister is responsible. And I hate to tell these people across the chamber, through you, Mr Speaker, the Labor-Greens agreement does not fall into the category of an act before the chamber.
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