Page 759 - Week 02 - Thursday, 10 March 2011
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I think that it is not a matter of whether the Liberals have interjected and whether you have had on occasion to warn a number of us. The question is whether you have done that in a balanced way. I think that the comparison that we have seen today between the behaviour of both Mr Stanhope and Mr Corbell and then the behaviour of Mr Doszpot—it stands in sharp contrast. You have had some mild interjecting from Mr Doszpot that was barely audible, and you saw fit to warn him. But you have had continual—
Mr Corbell: It was audible here.
MR HANSON: And interjecting again from Mr Corbell. You have had continual interjection from Mr Corbell and Mr Stanhope with language which continually uses the word “grub” and other derogatory terms—and no warning. The point is, Mr Speaker, that you are somewhat conflicted. The point is that you came into this place yesterday and you said in relation to your behaviour—this is when you yelled out across the chamber to Mr Smyth, “Get your hand off it, Brendan.” You then had to come back into this place and make a statement under standing order 46. This is quoting you, Mr Speaker:
Earlier in the debate I was asked to withdraw … comments I was alleged to have made—
you actually did make them; you were not just alleged to have, and if you want to deny that, that is a separate debate—
across the chamber. This situation has highlighted the challenges of being both the Speaker and an MLA in seeking to fulfil the role of Speaker and representing my constituents and the views that I hold.
The point is, Mr Speaker, that whilst you choose to sit in that seat as the Speaker but also choose to sit on the floor and engage in debate—quite ferocious debate at times—as a spokesperson from the Greens, as a political activist, as a radical, as you described yourself in your maiden speech, if you recall, Mr Speaker, you simply cannot do both. I saw yesterday a moment when you came over, leaping out of your chair, after debate, to basically poke Mr Seselja in the chest. You came over to this point here. It was unparliamentary behaviour as a Speaker. It was unparliamentary when you said, “Get your hand off it, Brendan.” You had to then come back into this place to make a personal explanation. You behaved in a most partisan manner.
It is impossible for you to de-conflict yourself from being the radical, as you describe yourself, on the floor and in the media—attacking the Liberal Party as you do constantly, and defending the Labor Party—and then being in the Speaker’s chair and providing non-partisan rulings on matters of debate and interjections and parliamentary behaviour in this place.
Mr Speaker, I think that Mrs Dunne raises a very fair point. I think it is entirely appropriate at this stage—after your biased rulings, your partisan rulings that have been ongoing for a period of time now—to raise dissent in your rulings. We have lost confidence in you as Speaker and I think that you need to make some decisions.
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