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  4. 6 April 2000

Business Of The House

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SpeakersWhelan Mr Paul; Hartcher Mr Chris
BusinessSuspension of Orders


    BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
Page: 4350
    Urgent Motion: Suspension of Standing and Sessional Orders

    Mr WHELAN (Strathfield—Minister for Police) [3.58 p.m.]: I move:
        That standing and sessional orders be suspended to restore the speaking time of the member for Kogarah forthwith.
    Mr HARTCHER (Gosford) [3.58 p.m.]: I oppose the motion because it proposes to suspend standing orders for the benefit of the honourable member for Kogarah. When the Leader of the National Party attempted to take a significant point of privilege in this House, he was denied the opportunity to do so. The Premier of this State gave an answer to a contrived dorothy dix question about the Leader of the National Party which was totally fictitious and false.

    Mr Whelan: Point of order—

    Mr SPEAKER: Order! If the Leader of the House wishes to take a point of order he should do so from where he is now standing on the Opposition side of the Chamber.

    Mr Whelan: My point of order is one of relevance. The suspension is for the benefit of the honourable member for Kogarah. It does not relate to any other honourable member.

    Mr SPEAKER: Order! That is not a point of order. The Leader of the House is making a speech in reply.

    Mr HARTCHER: I am explaining why I oppose the motion for suspension of standing orders. When the Premier answered the question honourable members of this House were entitled to believe that the information he was giving was genuine. It now turns out that it has been falsified. There are no such people as the Premier claimed were in existence. We have this extraordinary scene of the Premier of New South Wales waving a false document and giving false information to this House for purely party-political reasons.

    Mr Whelan: Point of order: My point of order is that if the honourable member for Gosford is continuing with that argument, and he has evidence of some substantive abuse by any member, he should inform the House. He should use known forms of the House rather than use a motion for suspension to begin an unsubstantiated attack on another member.

    Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the House is seeking to guide the Chair. I am extending a degree of latitude to the honourable member for Gosford.

    Mr HARTCHER: As I have explained, that is why I am opposing the point of order. If the Leader of the House wishes to give advice on the standing orders I am free to receive it at a later time. We are entitled to believe that the Premier's answer and the information he gives this House is genuine and correct. We will have a debate next week when we bring this matter on. We will go through the Premier's answer and the information that was supplied and we will show how he has misled this House. He may wish to use his numbers to try to stop debate but he cannot stop the truth. The truth is that the Premier did not have a genuine case when he stood here this afternoon. It was controlled and it was false.

    Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the House has moved to suspend standing and sessional orders to restore the speaking time of the honourable member for Kogarah. The honourable member for Gosford should direct his remarks to that motion.

    Mr HARTCHER: I will now. I thank you for your guidance and the Leader of the House for his information. The honourable member for Kogarah wants take the time of this House to talk about the Federal Government and Federal legislation. We have had a debate on Telstra—a Federal matter. We have had a debate on the goods and services tax—a Federal matter—and every Federal issue they can dream up but, we have State issues. What is happening in south-west Sydney? What is happening to the children of this State who are denied access to hospitals? What is happening to the railway? What is happening to the state of the trains? Why does the Premier not tell us about that instead of the goods and services tax, Telstra and mandatory sentencing?

    Mr Whelan: Last night we gave Opposition members an opportunity to make a speech about protecting children and they voted against it.

    Mr HARTCHER: We will debate any State issue the Premier wants. The Premier should not hide behind the Federal Government. [Time expired.]

    The House divided.
    Ayes, 54
              Ms Allan
              Mr Amery
              Ms Andrews
              Mr Aquilina
              Mr Ashton
              Mr Barr
              Mr Bartlett
              Ms Beamer
              Mr Black
              Mr Brown
              Miss Burton
              Mr Campbell
              Mr Carr
              Mr Collier
              Mr Crittenden
              Mr Debus
              Mr Face
              Mr Gaudry
              Mr Greene              		Mrs Grusovin
              Ms Harrison
              Mr Hickey
              Mr Hunter
              Mr Iemma
              Mr Knight
              Mrs Lo Po'
              Mr Lynch
              Mr Markham
              Mr Martin
              Mr McBride
              Mr McGrane
              Mr McManus
              Ms Meagher
              Ms Megarrity
              Mr Mills
              Mr Moss
              Mr Nagle
              Mr Newell              		Ms Nori
              Mr Orkopoulos
              Mr E. T. Page
              Mr Price
              Dr Refshauge
              Mr Scully
              Mr W. D. Smith
              Mr Stewart
              Mr Torbay
              Mr Tripodi
              Mr Watkins
              Mr Whelan
              Mr Windsor
              Mr Woods

              Tellers,
              Mr Anderson
              Mr Thompson
    Noes, 30
              Mr Brogden
              Mr Collins
              Mr Debnam
              Mr George
              Mr Glachan
              Mr Hartcher
              Mr Hazzard
              Ms Hodgkinson
              Mr Humpherson
              Dr Kernohan
              Mr Kerr              		Mr Maguire
              Mr Merton
              Mr Oakeshott
              Mr O'Doherty
              Mr O'Farrell
              Mr D. L. Page
              Mr Richardson
              Mr Rozzoli
              Ms Seaton
              Mrs Skinner
              Mr Slack-Smith              		Mr Souris
              Mr Stoner
              Mr Tink
              Mr J. H. Turner
              Mr R. W. Turner
              Mr Webb

              Tellers,
              Mr Fraser
              Mr R. H. L. Smith
    Pairs
                    Mr KnowlesMrs Armstrong
                    Ms Saliba Mr Chikarovski

    Question resolved in the affirmative.

    Motion agreed to.

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