Page 2179 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 21 June 2011
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
Mr Smyth: It would appear that it is 9 o’clock. Is the minister about to move the adjournment?
Members interjecting—
MR SPEAKER: Order, members. Stop the clocks, thank you.
Ms Gallagher interjecting—
MR SPEAKER: Order! This is not a subject for debate on the floor of the chamber, I am afraid. There is no standing order that says anything about a 9 o’clock stop, and certainly the Speaker has no means to do that. It must be done by the minister. Mrs Dunne has the floor to continue, Mr Smyth.
Mr Smyth: If I may raise a point of order on the timings of debate and the adjournment debate, which is covered by the standing orders—
MR SPEAKER: Yes.
Mr Smyth: we were informed that we would debate until 9 o’clock and then go to the adjournment and then the house would finish at 9.30. If that has been changed, I have certainly not been told.
MR SPEAKER: I am sorry, Mr Smyth, there is no point of order, because the 9 o’clock finish is not covered by the standing orders at all. It is obviously an informal arrangement.
Mr Smyth: No, but that there be an adjournment debate is a standing order.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, but there is nothing in the standing orders beyond a 6 pm adjournment debate.
Members interjecting—
MR SPEAKER: Order! Thank you, Mrs Dunne has the floor to continue.
MRS DUNNE: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I notice that the Chief Minister, on her first day here, talking about openness and accountability in this place, has reneged on the agreement made by the government whip with the Greens whip and the opposition whip, which I witnessed in the lobby. I did say at the time, “I wonder whether the government will renege on this.” And here we are: the Chief Minister, by her own act, has reneged on the agreement made by the whips.
Mr Coe: Pretty precious.
MRS DUNNE: They are pretty hopeless. They are really pretty hopeless.
MR SPEAKER: Order. Let us stick to the topic of the legislation, thank you.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video