Page 1114 - Week 03 - Thursday, 22 March 2012
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at 4 pm on 16 September 2008 a ministerial staffer sent an email marked “urgent” to the Treasury asking for Treasury to vet and potentially change an announcement on Indigenous affairs. Minister, are you satisfied that this communication would not erode public confidence in the separation of the Labor Party campaign and the public service during the election period?
MS GALLAGHER: Mr Speaker, it appears this is going to continue, so I think it might be best now if we move a motion calling on the opposition to table the documents that they are referring to.
Mr Smyth: They are in the public realm.
MS GALLAGHER: If they are in the public realm, there ought to be no problem with you tabling them right now; great. I seek leave to move a motion calling on the opposition to table the emails that they are referring to, so that we can actually have a mature discussion on this.
Leave not granted.
Standing and temporary orders—suspension
MR HARGREAVES (Brindabella) (2.09): I move:
That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent Ms Gallagher moving a motion requiring the Opposition to table documents that were referred to in questions to the Chief Minister.
Those opposite quite clearly are seeking to deny the opportunity to those on this side of the house to employ the same processes that they themselves employed in recent times. This is all about seeking leave of the Assembly to move a motion to require a part or a segment of this chamber to table information and to table documents to which they are referring. Those opposite did exactly the same thing to Minister Bourke in recent times, and it is only fair that this chamber afford the Chief Minister the same privilege.
MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development) (2.10): It is quite extraordinary that the opposition are claiming that this is such an important matter, but they are unable to actually put the document on the table and demonstrate that there is some veracity to the claims they are making in question time today. They have refused leave, Mr Speaker—
Mrs Dunne: On a point of order, Mr Speaker—
MR SPEAKER: Stop the clock, thank you.
Mrs Dunne: We are debating the suspension of standing orders, not the question about whether or not the document should be tabled. Mr Corbell should concentrate on why standing orders should be suspended.
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