Mr ADAMSON - 1996-11-20
What is his response to the Leader of the Opposition's denial that she verballed the Northern Territory Commissioner of Police after she received a briefing?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I thank the member for his question ...
Mr Stirling interjecting.
Mr STONE: We have obviously struck a nerve.
Mr Stirling interjecting.
Mr STONE: Here we go! Obviously, we have struck a raw nerve.
The Leader of the Opposition advised me that she would like to be briefed by the Commissioner of Police. She did not say it directly to me. I think she may have written to me.
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I was asked by, I think, Liz Byrne of ABC radio on the Friday whether that briefing would be extended to the Leader of the Opposition and I said openly: `Of course, the Leader of the Opposition can have the briefing'. The Leader of the Opposition asked also if she might be briefed without anyone from my office being present. That is a little out of the ordinary, in that normally ministers ...
Mr Bailey: It is your office that is being inquired into.
Mr STONE: I will pick up the interjection from the member for Wanguri. It is not my office that is being inquired into.
A member: Your department.
Mr STONE: Well, there is a big difference, a very big difference.
Mr Bailey: The leak was from your department.
Mr STONE: Putting the member for Wanguri to one side for a moment, where he belongs, and coming back to the Leader of the Opposition, as I said openly on ABC radio: `The Leader of the Opposition can have a briefing at any time. If she doesn't want someone there from my office, that is fine too. I do not mind'. What did the Leader of the Opposition do? She received the briefing in a private meeting with the Commissioner of Police and, as soon as it was over, she ran out of the door and tried to dramatise what she had been briefed on to the point where Channel 8, I think it was, reported that a `furious Commissioner of Police' repudiated it. He did everything short ...
Mr Bailey: You were abusing the commissioner's position.
Mr STONE: The member for Wanguri is interjecting again.
Mrs Hickey: Have you talked to the commissioner?
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: The Leader of the Opposition does not like this answer. She verballed the Commissioner of Police. That is quite an achievement. However, he did everything short of call her a liar. She sought to misrepresent the Commissioner of Police, based on a confidential briefing which she had received ...
Mrs Hickey: That is absolutely untrue.
Mr STONE: You demonstrated that you do not respect the confidentiality of police briefings. What you have demonstrated to Territorians is that you are someone who cannot be trusted.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I thank the member for his question ...
Mr Stirling interjecting.
Mr STONE: We have obviously struck a nerve.
Mr Stirling interjecting.
Mr STONE: Here we go! Obviously, we have struck a raw nerve.
The Leader of the Opposition advised me that she would like to be briefed by the Commissioner of Police. She did not say it directly to me. I think she may have written to me.
Page 1773
I was asked by, I think, Liz Byrne of ABC radio on the Friday whether that briefing would be extended to the Leader of the Opposition and I said openly: `Of course, the Leader of the Opposition can have the briefing'. The Leader of the Opposition asked also if she might be briefed without anyone from my office being present. That is a little out of the ordinary, in that normally ministers ...
Mr Bailey: It is your office that is being inquired into.
Mr STONE: I will pick up the interjection from the member for Wanguri. It is not my office that is being inquired into.
A member: Your department.
Mr STONE: Well, there is a big difference, a very big difference.
Mr Bailey: The leak was from your department.
Mr STONE: Putting the member for Wanguri to one side for a moment, where he belongs, and coming back to the Leader of the Opposition, as I said openly on ABC radio: `The Leader of the Opposition can have a briefing at any time. If she doesn't want someone there from my office, that is fine too. I do not mind'. What did the Leader of the Opposition do? She received the briefing in a private meeting with the Commissioner of Police and, as soon as it was over, she ran out of the door and tried to dramatise what she had been briefed on to the point where Channel 8, I think it was, reported that a `furious Commissioner of Police' repudiated it. He did everything short ...
Mr Bailey: You were abusing the commissioner's position.
Mr STONE: The member for Wanguri is interjecting again.
Mrs Hickey: Have you talked to the commissioner?
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: The Leader of the Opposition does not like this answer. She verballed the Commissioner of Police. That is quite an achievement. However, he did everything short of call her a liar. She sought to misrepresent the Commissioner of Police, based on a confidential briefing which she had received ...
Mrs Hickey: That is absolutely untrue.
Mr STONE: You demonstrated that you do not respect the confidentiality of police briefings. What you have demonstrated to Territorians is that you are someone who cannot be trusted.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016