Page 31 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 14 February 2012

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We are going to put the scrutiny on not just why they walked away from this project, not just the millions of dollars they wasted in pursuing this flawed project which blind Freddy could see was not going to fly, but the lies that they put out there. They put their public servants out there, they put false numbers out there in the Assembly and in the community to try and back up that lie. How do we know that? We know because, if what they had said was true, there is no way they would have walked away from it.

If the lie that they put to us that they were going to save taxpayers $34 million per annum by building this building and owning it were true, they would not be walking away from it. In fact, if it were true, no government would walk away from it because, if you can make that much money just by building an office, you would go into the office business for sure.

On that principle that was put to us by the government, you would go into the business of building offices. You would be able to have a wonderful return for taxpayers. You would be able to spread the love in terms of other core services, but it was not true. They were telling porkies left, right and centre. Madam Deputy Speaker, they should be censured for that. They spent months going out into the community—

MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mr Seselja, I would ask you to withdraw the imputation that the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister have lied.

MR SESELJA: Madam Deputy Speaker, the motion says they have misled the Assembly and the community.

MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: I ask you to withdraw the statement that they lied, please.

MR SESELJA: Madam Deputy Speaker, sorry, I am just seeking your ruling because we just had—

MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: I have ruled.

MR SESELJA: I am seeking a ruling and I would seek clarification. We just had a ruling from the Speaker that, because of the nature of the motion, words such as “fraud” could be bandied about with gay abandon. I am just seeking your ruling now on whether, in respect of a motion that is actually saying that the government misled the Assembly and the community, we actually cannot use language in relation to the government. Is that—

MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: It is an accusation that the member has lied. I wish you to withdraw it.

MR SESELJA: There are a lot of accusations thrown at us and they were allowed to stand, Madam Deputy Speaker.

MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mr Seselja, I wish you to withdraw it. Are you going to stand there and argue?


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