Page 293 - Week 01 - Thursday, 16 February 2012
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
a personal matter in the way that Mrs Dunne has just expressed it and I ask Mrs Dunne to withdraw the words.
Mr Hanson: Just on the point of order, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, Mr Hanson.
Mr Hanson: This refers to comments that were made by Mr Hargreaves last night, which he was not asked to withdraw, where he described members of the community as a “geriatric mob” and as a “self-help group” and as “lackeys”. I find it extraordinary in the context of this debate when Mrs Dunne is referring to the fact that Mr Hargreaves, in her view, was intoxicated—and we were all here—that that is somehow to be withdrawn perhaps, whereas Mr Hargreaves, who said that members of the community were a “geriatric mob” and so on, quite defamatory comments, was not asked to withdraw. If you are going to ask Mrs Dunne to withdraw her comments, I would ask for you also to explain what appears to me to be a glaring inconsistency.
Ms Porter: Point of order.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, Ms Porter.
Ms Porter: I believe I heard Mr Hanson just say that Mr Hargreaves was intoxicated. I think that needs to be withdrawn as well. You cannot stand in this place and make accusations that someone was intoxicated, I believe.
Mr Hanson: On that point of order, what I said was that Mrs Dunne had said that in her view she considered that Mr Hargreaves was intoxicated. I stand by that. I think that is what Mrs Dunne believes, that Mr Hargreaves was intoxicated.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, thank you, Mr Hanson.
Mr Hanson: It would be difficult not to refer to that in the making of my point of order.
MR SPEAKER: On your point of order, Ms Porter, I am not going to ask Mr Hanson to withdraw. I think he was discussing the matter at hand. Nonetheless, on the point that Mr Hanson has raised, there is a standing order against using unparliamentary words against members. There is no similar standing order against using unparliamentary words against individuals in the community. Now, that may be a glaring inconsistency which you might like to address during the administration and procedures process, but they are the standing orders as they currently stand.
Mr Hanson: Just on the point of order, I am not sure that referring to someone necessarily as being, in their view, intoxicated is unparliamentary. This is not—
MR SPEAKER: I take the view that it is, Mr Hanson. So that is my ruling.
MRS DUNNE: Mr Speaker, I withdraw, and the—
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video