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Business of the House

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Subjects -  Parliament: New South Wales
Speakers - Scully Mr Carl; Tink Mr Andrew
Business - Suspension of Orders, Motion


    BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
Page: 16903


    Routine of Business: Suspension of Standing and Sessional Orders

    Mr CARL SCULLY (Smithfield—Minister for Police) [12.39 p.m.]: I move:

    That standing and sessional orders be suspended to:

    (1) provide that the routine of business be varied to not call on motions for urgent consideration, matters of public importance and private members' statements; and

    (2) permit the introduction and passage through all stages of the following bills at this sitting:

    Drug Misuse and Trafficking Amendment Bill
    Gaming Machines Amendment Bill
    Legal Profession Amendment Bill
    Local Government Amendment Bill
    National Parks and Wildlife (Further Adjustment of Areas) Bill.

    As everyone knows, we are a very busy Government and we have a legislative program to get through.

    Mr ANDREW TINK (Epping) [12.40 p.m.]: This is an incompetent and dishonest Government, and it is going into hiding in the lower House. The Government does not want to spend one second longer than is absolutely necessary on debating matters that the constituents of the Opposition and the Government demand should be debated properly, fully and accountably. The motion moved by the Leader of the House means that the Gaming Machines Amendment Bill, which deals with the allocation and transfer of poker machine entitlements, the regulation of gaming machines in hotels and the Casino Community Benefit Fund, will be rammed through this House. Someone does not want those issues ventilated in this Chamber. Someone does not want the Opposition to say what the Australian Hotels Association and the clubs think should happen with this legislation. The Government just wants to get this legislation through as fast as it can.

    The Local Government Amendment Bill, which the Government wants to ram through, deals with a reduction in the required number of councillors. This Government is going to tamper with the number of councillors on local councils. Are Government members too scared to have a say and stand up for their local government areas? Are they too scared to stand up for councils in Rockdale, the Hunter, the lakes area, Waverley, Randwick, the Blue Mountains and Drummoyne? Not one Government member is prepared to stand up for their local councillors. They are all prepared to sit here like a bunch of dummies and let the Leader of the House move a motion to ram the legislation through this House.
    The Government also wants to begin to revoke national parks without providing members of this House with an opportunity to consider what the legislation is about. Truly this is a disgraceful and incompetent performance on the part of the Government. By his actions, the Leader of the House will forgo the right to wear Barrie Unsworth's revered cardigan. He does not even deserve that accolade. I do not know what depths the Leader of the House is sinking to. I do not know a more incompetent Labor Party leader than Barrie Unsworth, but if Labor elects the Leader of the House as its leader, he may well take the cardigan. Why is the Government doing this? There are two great events coming: first, in 10 days time Parliament will resume. I believe this motion is intended to ensure that this House does not resume in 10 days time.

    Precious little Johnny Watkins, the Minister for Transport, is having a hard time explaining why the pylons are crumbling at Circular Quay. Twenty-four hours ago he put his hand on his heart and said, "The pylons aren't crumbling, this is all Debnam's spin." Guess what? The Independent Transport Safety and Reliability Regulator is saying that the pylons are crumbling. Does the Government want another week's questioning on that? No. Trust me: this is the save Johnny Watkins motion. In the past 24 hours Johnny Watkins has had to grudgingly concede that the CD-ROMs the Leader of the Opposition said all train drivers were using to get the answers at the same time as they were getting the questions on how to become train drivers was not a one-off occurrence, but is a systemic problem right throughout the rail industry. So Johnny Watkins does not want to have to stand up in this Chamber in 10 days time and cop a pizzling on that either.

    Then there is Labor's glorious factional leader, the Treasurer, Dr Refshauge. If there was a more incompetent Treasurer of New South Wales, I am yet to meet one or read about one in any history book that has ever been written on New South Wales. I do not think he likes all the questions he is being asked in relation to the budget. We could sit tomorrow to do all this, but we are not going to do that because all the Labor members have been instructed to get out there and sell to all the mutinous delegates that the vendor tax is a great thing. They are being told by Sussex Street to get around to all their delegates and make sure that they all vote for the vendor tax. [Time expired.]

    Question—That the motion be agreed to—put.

    The House divided.
    Ayes, 49
    Ms Allan
    Mr Amery
    Ms Andrews
    Mr Bartlett
    Ms Beamer
    Mr Black
    Mr Brown
    Ms Burney
    Miss Burton
    Mr Collier
    Mr Corrigan
    Mr Crittenden
    Ms D'Amore
    Mr Debus
    Mr Gaudry
    Mr Gibson
    Mr Greene    		Ms Hay
    Mr Hickey
    Mr Hunter
    Mr Iemma
    Ms Judge
    Ms Keneally
    Mr Knowles
    Mr Lynch
    Mr McBride
    Mr McLeay
    Ms Meagher
    Ms Megarrity
    Mr Mills
    Mr Morris
    Mr Newell
    Mr Orkopoulos
    Mrs Paluzzano    		Mr Pearce
    Mr Price
    Dr Refshauge
    Ms Saliba
    Mr Sartor
    Mr Scully
    Mr Shearan
    Mr Stewart
    Mr Tripodi
    Mr Watkins
    Mr West
    Mr Whan
    Mr Yeadon

    Tellers,
    Mr Ashton
    Mr Martin

    Noes, 33
    Mr Aplin
    Mr Armstrong
    Mr Barr
    Ms Berejiklian
    Mr Cansdell
    Mr Constance
    Mr Draper
    Mrs Fardell
    Mr Fraser
    Mrs Hancock
    Mr Hartcher
    Mr Hazzard    		Ms Hodgkinson
    Mrs Hopwood
    Mr Kerr
    Ms Moore
    Mr Oakeshott
    Mr O'Farrell
    Mr Page
    Mr Piccoli
    Mr Pringle
    Mr Richardson
    Mr Roberts
    Ms Seaton    		Mr Slack-Smith
    Mr Souris
    Mr Stoner
    Mr Tink
    Mr Torbay
    Mr J. H. Turner
    Mr R. W. Turner


    Tellers,
    Mr George
    Mr Maguire

    Pairs

    Ms GadielMr Humpherson
    Mrs PerryMr Merton

    Question resolved in the affirmative.

    Motion agreed to.


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