Mrs HICKEY - 1996-11-20
Yesterday, the Chief Minister refused to answer my question as to why he told Channel 8 and ABC television that he could give `a categorical assurance, and that is that it is not coming from government departments' but, when he made a similar statement to this House, he qualified it by saying: `I can give a categorical undertaking that my advice is that no such departmental information has ever been made available to the Country Liberal Party'. His advice was wrong. He also told this House, in relation to his own personal use of illegally transferred confidential information: `I am assured that this is information provided by the AEC'. He was wrong again, and proven wrong on both counts by a federal police investigation. Has the Chief Minister told the Territory police who gave him this incorrect information? Has he directed whoever gave him that advice to inform the Territory police of the basis of the advice and assurance? Was it the Chief Minister's chief of staff, Margaret Lyons?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I did not pick up the last part of the question, about my chief of staff.
Mr Bailey: Was she the one who informed you ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: My chief of staff has no involvement with my electorate office whatsoever. The Leader of the Opposition is again saying that it is an `illegally obtained' database. She implies some sort of criminal wrongdoing - all of this while a police investigation is under way. What is it? Where is she coming from? Is she trying to ensure she lands a few hits before the Northern Territory police report is completed? She makes these allegations that there has been some criminal wrongdoing ...
Mrs Hickey: We want to know who gave you the advice.
Mr STONE: Will you be quiet and let me answer the question? You are one of the rudest women I have ever come across. You have no manners at all. I am trying to answer the question and members are talking over the top of me all the time. You are as bad as the member for Wanguri. Are you interested in the answer or not?
Mr Bailey: You have not answered it in 2 days.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: The Leader of the Opposition makes allegations of illegality and wrongdoing. I will read again from the letter from the Australian Electoral Commission. This is a letter to the secretary ...
Mrs Hickey interjecting.
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Mr STONE: There you go again.
Mr Bailey: Selective.
Mr STONE: There you go again.
Mr Bailey: Yesterday, you said ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: I am sure Territorians at home are probably having some difficulty following what this is all about, if anything. I am sure they would like to know that the Australian Electoral Commission has written to the Department of Chief the Minister, saying:
The Australian Electoral Commission does not accuse either you, your officers or anyone else of any
illegality under Commonwealth or Northern Territory law. Nor does the Australian Electoral Commission
attempt to implicate any person in any wrongdoing.
How much clearer can it be?
Mr Bailey: It has not been able to identify the individual.
Mr STONE: I would be very interested ...
Mrs Hickey: That is why they have handed it across to the Northern Territory Police Force.
Mr Bailey: That is why the commissioner is trying to find out who did it.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: Did what?
Mr Bailey: Transferred the Territory Electoral Office's ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Chief Minister will please resume his seat. The member for Wanguri is continuing to call out when I have called for order. I expect him to abide by my request for order and not to continue interjecting.
Mr STONE: The point is that, unless the Leader of the Opposition has a copy of the Australian Federal Police report - which I do not - how can she get to her feet and make, with such authority, these allegations which have never been substantiated?
Mrs Hickey interjecting.
Mr STONE: I take it from that that the Leader of the Opposition does not have a copy.
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Mr Ah Kit interjecting.
Mr STONE: You have seen it, Jack, have you?
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: The fact is that the Leader of the Opposition is flying kites here. She is trying to damn a whole department on the basis of innuendo and hearsay, including everyone from the tea lady through to the head of the department. She has taken this wide-brush approach to try to besmirch the names and the standing of people in the Department of the Chief Minister, and she thinks it is clever to do that. That is the allegation that has been made.
Mr Bailey: That is the fact.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: She comes into this coward's castle and, under cover of parliamentary privilege, she names my chief of staff. How courageous! Why not walk outside on the steps of Parliament House and try the same stunt? Why doesn't she demonstrate that she has the courage of her convictions and do that, instead of getting to her feet in here and naming people under parliamentary privilege, knowing that she can get away with it without having to answer for her smarmy innuendo and hearsay allegations that have never been substantiated.
I say to the Leader of the Opposition ...
Mrs Hickey: Put up or shut up.
Mr STONE: No, you put up or shut up. If you have a censure motion you want to run, get on with it. Let us have it. Yesterday, we called you Old Jellyback. You do not have the courage of your convictions. Get to your feet and run your censure motion. Stop fiddling around at the edges, and get on with it. You will continue ...
Mrs Hickey: You are not getting away with it ...
Mr STONE: No. You may take the view that you can run this all week, casting aspersions on good quality people. If you reckon that Territorians will let you get away with that, when you have not put up a shred of evidence against any person in the department ...
Mrs HICKEY: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The Chief Minister was asked a series of simple questions and he has made no attempt to answer those questions. I know that you are not able to direct him to do so, but this is really quite beyond the pale. He should sit down if he is not prepared to answer the questions.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! You have made the point for me. There is no point of order because I cannot direct the Chief Minister on how he will answer a question.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I did not pick up the last part of the question, about my chief of staff.
Mr Bailey: Was she the one who informed you ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: My chief of staff has no involvement with my electorate office whatsoever. The Leader of the Opposition is again saying that it is an `illegally obtained' database. She implies some sort of criminal wrongdoing - all of this while a police investigation is under way. What is it? Where is she coming from? Is she trying to ensure she lands a few hits before the Northern Territory police report is completed? She makes these allegations that there has been some criminal wrongdoing ...
Mrs Hickey: We want to know who gave you the advice.
Mr STONE: Will you be quiet and let me answer the question? You are one of the rudest women I have ever come across. You have no manners at all. I am trying to answer the question and members are talking over the top of me all the time. You are as bad as the member for Wanguri. Are you interested in the answer or not?
Mr Bailey: You have not answered it in 2 days.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: The Leader of the Opposition makes allegations of illegality and wrongdoing. I will read again from the letter from the Australian Electoral Commission. This is a letter to the secretary ...
Mrs Hickey interjecting.
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Mr STONE: There you go again.
Mr Bailey: Selective.
Mr STONE: There you go again.
Mr Bailey: Yesterday, you said ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: I am sure Territorians at home are probably having some difficulty following what this is all about, if anything. I am sure they would like to know that the Australian Electoral Commission has written to the Department of Chief the Minister, saying:
The Australian Electoral Commission does not accuse either you, your officers or anyone else of any
illegality under Commonwealth or Northern Territory law. Nor does the Australian Electoral Commission
attempt to implicate any person in any wrongdoing.
How much clearer can it be?
Mr Bailey: It has not been able to identify the individual.
Mr STONE: I would be very interested ...
Mrs Hickey: That is why they have handed it across to the Northern Territory Police Force.
Mr Bailey: That is why the commissioner is trying to find out who did it.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: Did what?
Mr Bailey: Transferred the Territory Electoral Office's ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Chief Minister will please resume his seat. The member for Wanguri is continuing to call out when I have called for order. I expect him to abide by my request for order and not to continue interjecting.
Mr STONE: The point is that, unless the Leader of the Opposition has a copy of the Australian Federal Police report - which I do not - how can she get to her feet and make, with such authority, these allegations which have never been substantiated?
Mrs Hickey interjecting.
Mr STONE: I take it from that that the Leader of the Opposition does not have a copy.
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Mr Ah Kit interjecting.
Mr STONE: You have seen it, Jack, have you?
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: The fact is that the Leader of the Opposition is flying kites here. She is trying to damn a whole department on the basis of innuendo and hearsay, including everyone from the tea lady through to the head of the department. She has taken this wide-brush approach to try to besmirch the names and the standing of people in the Department of the Chief Minister, and she thinks it is clever to do that. That is the allegation that has been made.
Mr Bailey: That is the fact.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: She comes into this coward's castle and, under cover of parliamentary privilege, she names my chief of staff. How courageous! Why not walk outside on the steps of Parliament House and try the same stunt? Why doesn't she demonstrate that she has the courage of her convictions and do that, instead of getting to her feet in here and naming people under parliamentary privilege, knowing that she can get away with it without having to answer for her smarmy innuendo and hearsay allegations that have never been substantiated.
I say to the Leader of the Opposition ...
Mrs Hickey: Put up or shut up.
Mr STONE: No, you put up or shut up. If you have a censure motion you want to run, get on with it. Let us have it. Yesterday, we called you Old Jellyback. You do not have the courage of your convictions. Get to your feet and run your censure motion. Stop fiddling around at the edges, and get on with it. You will continue ...
Mrs Hickey: You are not getting away with it ...
Mr STONE: No. You may take the view that you can run this all week, casting aspersions on good quality people. If you reckon that Territorians will let you get away with that, when you have not put up a shred of evidence against any person in the department ...
Mrs HICKEY: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The Chief Minister was asked a series of simple questions and he has made no attempt to answer those questions. I know that you are not able to direct him to do so, but this is really quite beyond the pale. He should sit down if he is not prepared to answer the questions.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! You have made the point for me. There is no point of order because I cannot direct the Chief Minister on how he will answer a question.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016