Page 467 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 8 March 2011
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by members on all sides of the federal parliament to seek to override other issues. For example, we have heard the furphy of the Gungahlin Drive extension. No-one is arguing in the debate in this place that the federal parliament does not have the constitutional power to override the laws of the territory.
Mr Seselja: What about the national capital plan?
MR CORBELL: Of course, the national capital plan is a law of the federal parliament, and the federal parliament reserves to itself certain powers in relation to the making or otherwise of amendments to the national capital plan. The difference, of course, which those opposite fail to comprehend—
Opposition members interjecting—
MADAM ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Mr Smyth and Mr Seselja, please stop interjecting.
MR CORBELL: The difference, of course, that those opposite fail to comprehend is that those mechanisms and provisions involve a vote of the federal parliament. They do not involve the Crown unilaterally overriding a law of this parliament. It is not the same mechanism. It is not the same approach. It is not the Crown vetoing a provision made by this parliament. It is a completely different constitutional mechanism. It shows the paucity of the argument of those opposite—
Opposition members interjecting—
MADAM ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Excuse me one minute, Mr Corbell. Members of the opposition, please be quiet. Mr Corbell.
MR CORBELL: It highlights the paucity of their argument that they seek to align the one with the other. They are not the same. They are not the same in any regard. The issue at stake here is simply this: should the Crown be allowed to disallow laws of this place? We say no. What do they say, Madam Assistant Speaker? (Time expired.)
MADAM ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Before we go onto the next speaker, Mr Stanhope and Ms Gallagher, if you want to have a private conversation please do not have it in the Assembly. Members of the Opposition, it has been very hard to hear Mr Corbell speak. I hope that it will be quieter for our next speaker. Mr Smyth.
MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (11.31): It is always pleasing to go after Mr Corbell, because you get that indignation in Simon. The button gets done up and the hand is thrust in the pocket and the finger pointing starts. You know that Simon Corbell does not have an argument when the tone in his voice rises and his temper flares, that blush comes into his cheeks and he starts asserting things that are fundamentally untrue.
He said that we do not stand for anything. He said we do not have a position on whether laws should be overridden by other jurisdictions. I simply refer him to the Leader of the Opposition’s speech on 12 May 2009 when Mr Seselja said that he believes the territory deserves to be treated at least equal to other states and that if any
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