Page 1539 - Week 04 - Thursday, 29 March 2012
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MR SPEAKER: Order! The minister is answering the question.
DR BOURKE: I will seek clarification from the directorate as to the nature of that remediation and the time it was done.
MR SPEAKER: Supplementary, Mr Seselja.
MR SESELJA: Minister, how can parents trust you on this matter when the government was warned four years ago and failed to fix the identified problem?
DR BOURKE: I thank the member for his question. I dispute the allegation that the problem has not been fixed. As I have said before, there are very many buildings in Canberra built before 1988 which contain asbestos, including government and non-government schools, thousands of homes, offices and shops. The asbestos management plans in ACT government schools are there to provide a working document which is available to parents, available to any member of the public who wants to have a look at them, to see what is there in the school. I am sure that the directorate would have remediated the particular issue that you are pointing to back in 2008. But, as I said—
Mr Hanson: If they haven’t, you’re gone, mate.
DR BOURKE: I will—
Mr Hanson: If they haven’t, you’ve been misleading us.
DR BOURKE: seek advice from the directorate and report back.
Mr Hargreaves: Point of order, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: Yes.
Mr Hargreaves: Mr Hanson said he had been misleading us. He has to withdraw.
MR SPEAKER: The point of order is upheld. Mr Hanson, can you withdraw, thank you. You accused Dr Bourke of misleading the Assembly. You know it is unparliamentary.
Mr Hanson: Mr Speaker, what I said was that, if it is proven that the material was not remediated, he would have misled the Assembly, and I think I stand by that statement.
Members interjecting—
MR SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr Hanson, I heard something different. I am inviting you to withdraw, thank you.
Mr Hanson: I did not say anything different, Mr Speaker. I would ask that you refer to the Hansard and confirm what I said. If it is shown that I did say that, then I will withdraw. But in my recollection I said quite clearly that if it is shown that this was not remediated, as you were saying, then you would have misled the Assembly. I have not alleged that you misled the Assembly.
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