Page 1256 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 23 March 2010
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
MR SPEAKER: I find myself in a somewhat invidious position on Mr Corbell’s point of order but I think, having taken advice, this is a debate on the matter of dissent. And I do feel, Mr Hanson, that you are straying outside the bounds of the debate and into the bounds of my motivations, which I do not believe are the subject of the dissent motion. So I would invite you to try to focus your comments on the matters being debated.
MR HANSON: The point is on the parliamentary agreement, its uses and what it is there for. My point is that you, as the Speaker of the Assembly—and I am looking for precedent in how it has been used—have spoken to other parliaments, including those from other Australian jurisdictions and overseas, and have, in representing this place, talked about its role in the running of this Assembly. If it is okay that we can actually discuss this with regard to other parliaments; it is part of the debate; the Speaker, representing the Assembly, can do so; ministers can actually put it out in press releases; but we are not allowed to ask simple questions at question time; I think it is entirely contradictory.
If you are telling me that you went over to that meeting as a Green, then I suggest that is on but there is probably some money that needs to be paid back and changes need to be made in the report, because my understanding is that you were representing us as Speaker. That is an entirely different entity.
MR SPEAKER: Order, Mr Hanson!
MR HANSON: It is about dissent from your ruling and I am just pointing out—
MR SPEAKER: Stop the clock. Sit down, Mr Hanson. I think you really are outside the bounds now. You are really into territory that is beyond the dissent motion. I think, when you are starting to discuss entitlements and the like, you are straying outside the bounds. You are putting me in a very difficult position but I think there is some form and precedent on these sorts of matters and I am encouraging you to try to respect the practices of the place.
MR HANSON: I will move to close, because the points that I do want to raise, I consider, go to the ability of the opposition to scrutinise the government and your ruling has prevented us from doing that effectively, on what I have demonstrated through those 16 press releases. This covers tens and tens of millions of dollars.
However, the inconsistency is that the Labor Party and the Greens are using the parliamentary agreement at free will in a variety of venues—in the parliament, in other parliaments or in the media. I think your ruling is entirely contradictory. I think what your ruling has done has weakened democracy in the ACT, has weakened scrutiny of the government and has made this parliament a less effective place. And that will be your legacy.
MR STANHOPE (Ginninderra—Chief Minister, Minister for Transport, Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Minister for Business and Economic Development, Minister for Land and Property Services, Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs and Minister for the Arts and Heritage) (2.51): Mr Speaker, I will just
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video