Page 3302 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 21 August 2018
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Mr Hanson: I thought it was in order, Madam Speaker.
MADAM SPEAKER: Again, I refer you to what Speakers have ruled out of order. I suggest that everyone read page 554. There is limited connection between what happens on conference floor and decisions of executive. I will rule that question out of order.
Mr Coe: Point of order, Madam Speaker. Prior to your making a ruling, can I ask you to consider the question? It was: what decisions made at the recent ACT Labor Party conference will become government policy? Surely that is a reasonable question to ask and should not be ruled out of order simply because we cannot use the term “Labor Party conference”.
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Gentleman, on the point of order.
Mr Gentleman: On the point of order, Madam Speaker. You cannot ask ministers to announce government policy in question time.
Mrs Dunne: On the point of order, Madam Speaker.
MADAM SPEAKER: Can you wait a moment, Mrs Dunne? I will come back to you.
Mrs Dunne: Yes, sure.
MADAM SPEAKER: Mrs Dunne, on the point of order.
Mrs Dunne: On the point of order, the question, like all the questions asked by the opposition, has referred to the Chief Minister in his capacity as the head of government responsible for the implementation of the government’s policies. Therefore, I cannot see how you can rule Mrs Kikkert’s question out of order because she is only asking which decisions will become government policy. It is not an announcement of government policy because the decisions have already been made by another body.
MADAM SPEAKER: Which is not the executive.
Mr Rattenbury: Madam Speaker, on the point of order.
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Rattenbury on the point of order.
Mr Rattenbury: Thank you, Madam Speaker. On the point of order, I think that whilst Mrs Kikkert’s preamble does tend to distract and point to the House of Representatives question, my view would be that that question is in order because she is asking the Chief Minister in his role as head of government. Nonetheless, I think that Minister Gentleman has clarified very well that the Chief Minister is being asked to pre-empt policy and it is his decision to announce that when he wishes.
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