Page 4338 - Week 10 - Thursday, 22 September 2011
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had this debate. Who was missing in action in supporting his leader? What chair was empty throughout the entire debate until we got to the question being put? Mr Barr, the Deputy Chief Minister. He is always absent when the Chief Minister is in trouble. She is always left on her own.
Simon Corbell, give him his due, comes down and stands up for his leader. That might be a factional thing. But who is always missing? Mr Barr. Who is the man who does not stand up for his leader? Mr Barr. And who is the man who will bring further interest in the media today by raising this whole issue again? Mr Barr.
So you do have to question what is going on here. It is interesting that they are attempting to censure me, but there is no case made. There are no facts quoted. There are no clips from, let us see, the FM stations, the ABC, 2CC. There are no quotes taken from the Canberra Times. There are no quotes taken from the ABC news. There are no quotes taken from WIN news to support this case.
There is nothing in the case that is made here. It is flimsy. And it is a lot like Mr Barr himself in his approach to politics. He stands up and he says something. He just expects to be believed. But he actually has to have facts in these matters.
I know that the Greens believe this because they believe that these issues should only be brought forward on substantial issues with substantial cases made. We will see whether the Greens still believe that.
The problem here is that you have to ask: as it is, what is it that I have done, according to this motion? It reads:
That this Assembly censures Mr Smyth for his misleading comments in his media release “Gallagher to be examined for improper conduct” and subsequent public comments relating to the establishment, by this Assembly, of a Select Committee on Privileges on 20 September 2011.
There has been nothing quoted from the media release. There has been no reference made to subsequent public comments relating to the establishment of the committee. Had I made misleading statements, I am sure the minister would have endeavoured to have quoted them. But he has not—not a single phrase, not a single sentence, not a single paragraph quoted. Why? Because he cannot. Perhaps his staff are running around now, checking everything that has been said so that he can grab something and quote it out of place.
The problem when you launch the case—and I have the right to respond to that case—is that you actually have to make the case. You have to put the evidence on the table. You have to say, “Here clearly are the reasons why this person deserves to be censured and here is my evidence to back it up.”
Apart from the verbiage that we get so often from this minister, there was no case made. There was no quotation. And you would seriously have to question why we are going through this today. You have to ask: why has the minister again in this place brought up the issue of Gallagher to be examined for improper conduct? Perhaps it is
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