Page 596 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 22 February 2012
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something that Mr Johnston as the TCC representative was seeking and wanted to occur.
As I said last week in relation to the censure motion, it is up to all of us to lift the standard of what is said in the Assembly. There have been some fairly inappropriate comments made about public servants during debates. They are people who cannot come in here and address those comments. I make the point again that I made last week where Mrs Dunne came down in the adjournment debate before the last federal election and made some very inappropriate comments about Mr Hargreaves’s wife. Understandably he got upset about those comments, as I would have, too.
There is a slight tinge of hypocrisy happening here today in that we quite often talk about the standard of debate. We are talking about members of the public here and I know that is a difference, but some comments are swung across the chamber made to and about other members, and that does nothing to raise the standard of debate in the chamber. That is something we should all recognise.
I would also like to make the point that after the adjournment speech by Mr Hargreaves last week, Mrs Dunne actually got up and asked the Assembly to extend the time for Mr Hargreaves to speak and had a bit of a laugh about it. That point needs to be made. There was also a fair amount of baiting, as Mr Hargreaves said, from other members. I do not think anyone is innocent in what happened last week when we are talking about the standards.
Mr Hanson: Tut, tut, tut.
MS BRESNAN: Well, you might “tut, tut, tut”, Mr Hanson, but that is actually what happened.
Mr Doszpot: No, he was tut-tutting at something that—
MS BRESNAN: Well, I am just making that point, thank you, Mr Doszpot. I thought we would be treating this seriously today, so that is what I am talking about now.
Community councils are an important forum at which the community can raise concerns and discuss matters. The TCC has been this for government and organisations to facilitate and seek debate. I have been to a number of those meetings where people have spoken and debate has ensued. They are an important forum for that. I also note—I will probably get shouted down for this—that it is important that community councils are representative of their community and express the variety of views the community have.
The TCC have always been very respectful of people’s views at any of the meetings I have been to. They have also been very respectful to all the MLAs that have attended, and that is with Darryl Johnston as president. As I said—and I said this in the censure debate, too—he has instituted some excellent processes for the council. They have a very strong constitution and also respectful meeting procedures. That is an excellent thing that has been instituted. All members of the Tuggeranong Community Council should be congratulated on this, because they are changes that all members have been a part of and have instituted.
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