Page 1914 - Week 06 - Thursday, 9 June 2016
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MR SMYTH: You have got seven sitting days, make the most of them. We will not miss the witty interjections, because there have not been that many. But it is 2016. All the resolution says is, “Let the pairs work it out.” If you cannot catch that—I can talk slower, we can write it down, we can even draw pictures. We should not be sending this to admin and procedure. It should have been passed today, and I think you really ought to have a good look about what you stand for.
MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (11.55): I would just like to reflect on the manner with which this was dealt with by the Manager of Government Business. This whole matter could have been resolved a lot more quickly had the Manager of Government Business been courteous enough to tell Mrs Jones and the members of this place, when he adjourned this, there was another motion to refer, and we would not have needed to have a division. This could have been dealt with in a much more harmonious manner if the Manager of Government Business had just done his job in managing government business.
MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo—Minister for Corrections, Minister for Education, Minister for Justice and Consumer Affairs and Minister for Road Safety) (11.56): I had not intended to speak on this matter but, as Mr Smyth saw fit to draw me into it, I will take the opportunity. The reason I was not particularly going to speak was that I thought it was a perfectly reasonable proposition for this to go to the administration and procedure committee as changes to standing orders normally do, as it is a reasonably standard thing to do. And I was looking forward to discussion in admin and procedure as we work our way through what seems a perfectly reasonable proposition.
That said, I do not actually understand what a standing pair means. I am interested to work through what that would definitionally mean. It is a new concept. I have not seen the words “standing pair” used in this place before. I would be keen to understand what that actually means.
We have now had the sort of sanctimonious view put to us that there was no consultation on the process. Let me simply reflect back to the chamber that I was not consulted on my views on this prior to it being brought forward. There has been no discussion about the passage of this proposed standing resolution and what it might mean. There was no discussion amongst colleagues prior to its coming to the chamber today.
Mrs Jones has proposed amendments to the Mental Health Act later today. She has put forward proposals to amend the Mental Health Act and I have not heard from Mrs Jones. Yet I have no doubt that in the next few hours Mrs Jones is going to be looking for my support on those amendments, and I have no idea why she is putting them forward.
Mrs Jones: You are part of the government.
MR RATTENBURY: She is interjecting across the chamber.
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