Page 4910 - Week 13 - Thursday, 2 November 2017
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Opposition members interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Stop the clock, please. This is the first time I have stopped the clock but, as amusing as it may be for you, you have brought on a motion of no confidence in the Chief Minister, a most serious allegation. You have people on their feet defending the Chief Minister, putting their arguments.
Ms Lawder: He is not really defending the Chief Minister.
MADAM SPEAKER: Ms Lawder, I would not make a comment in the middle of my trying to bring you to order. You have been heard in relative silence. Now allow this side that same respect.
MR PETTERSSON: Again, Madam Speaker, thank you for the interruption. I am struggling to hear my thoughts, given how loud they are today. They are not normally this animated, which is why I am so surprised. Going back to why they are so keen to keep taking property developer donations, look up the highway at what happened to their mates the New South Wales Liberal Party. A bunch of them under ICAC investigation all had to call it quits.
The lack of evidence presented by Mr Coe has made me ponder another question about this whole matter: why now? Why has this come on now? It is strange. It seems a weird time. If you legitimately thought there was something untoward occurring, would it not be better to wait until you had compiled some evidence—anything? What do we not know about, Mr Coe? Why has this come on this week? Is his tenuous hold on the opposition caucus room starting to slip and is this just a desperate attempt to regain some momentum? I suspect it is.
I also think it says something that Mr Coe cannot even rally half of his party room to speak on his motion. It is the most important motion he has ever moved in this place, and he cannot even get a handful of members to speak to it. That is interesting. I know it is just a political stunt, but you would think they could at least back him up.
Could there be a challenge on the cards, not this week but a little into the future? I think Mr Hanson, interjector in chief, might be considering a comeback. He is swanning around on his motorbike, wearing his hip leather jacket, almost like Canberra’s Malcolm Turnbull. Trust me, Jeremy, you are not Canberra’s Malcolm Turnbull. Or what about Mr Wall, the loyal sidekick to Mr Coe? Maybe Mr Wall is toying with the idea of being leader one day. I do not think so, and I think Mr Wall agrees. Mr Wall is very comfortable being Robin to Mr Coe’s Batman. I think Mr Wall should be very proud of himself today.
Mr Hanson: I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. In your previous ruling you admonished the opposition. As you rightly pointed out, this is a serious motion. I would consider whether Mr Pettersson, based on the ruling that you provided to the opposition, is treating this motion with the sincerity and the due regard which you have insisted the opposition have.
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