Mr ELFERINK - 2005-03-24
You have told the people of Alice Springs that you do not approve of comments by your minister who repeatedly called me a ‘poofter’. This was after he was roundly criticised for making disgusting innuendos about me and root vegetables last year. As every member …
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Macdonnell, would you cease for a moment. Because the word that you are claiming was spoken to you in this parliament, it does not mean to say that by repeating it continually it becomes parliamentary. It is still unparliamentary so, perhaps, when you ask your question you should not repeat that unparliamentary word.
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Speaker, as every member of this House is aware, I was sexually abused as a child and, for good reason, those matters have become public knowledge. There has been a whispering campaign surrounding me for months in an effort to deflect your government’s culpability of this minister’s arrogance. In the Centralian Advocate today, there is another insensitive and flippant comment by a Cabinet minister. That Cabinet minister said, when he saw a pink shirt in a pub: ‘That is something I would expect John Elferink to wear’. Chief Minister, was this minister Kon Vatskalis? If it was not him, who was it? Will you right now guarantee an apology to sexually abused people, gay and lesbian people, and every other person in the Territory who would be offended by your government’s flippant attitudes towards them?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it is interesting that the member for Macdonnell continues to raise this issue because, when the altercation - it was a verbal altercation and, in part, a physical altercation, initiated by the member for Macdonnell in February in the House …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! There was no physical aspect to this. He is just making it up.
Ms MARTIN: Madam Speaker, I dispute that. I watched the member walk across the House …
Madam SPEAKER: Before you dispute it, let me say, member for Macdonnell, you know you can make a personal explanation. Chief Minister, off you go, and could we have quick answers today?
Ms MARTIN: Madam Speaker, I do not want to give too much time to this, but you made a decision on what happened in the House. I have spoken to the member for Johnston, and told him what he said was inappropriate, and that he should not be provoked by inappropriate and offensive language from the member for Macdonnell. I made that very clear.
Madam Speaker, you made your decision about the incident. You gave the member for Macdonnell 24 hours from the House for his behaviour, and the member for Johnston one hour. Let us remember what your decision was. I know nothing about the incident the member is talking about. I believe this is well left behind us. I thought the member for Nightcliff really touched it in the adjournment debate last night when she said it is time to move on. It is seriously time to move on.
I would like to think that the issues we are discussing in this parliament are relevant ones for the community of Alice Springs and Central Australia, and that the member for Macdonnell should accept the ramifications of his behaviour …
Mr Dunham: Oh, give it a break!
Mr Elferink: I was not even in this …
Ms MARTIN: … when it happened in February, because he was thrown out of our Parliamentary House for 24 hours.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, let me clarify clearly. The withdrawal of the two members was the decision of the parliament. It was not my decision, it was a decision made by this parliament. I also remind members that we do have very young children in the gallery, that is why we should refrain from some of the language.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Macdonnell, would you cease for a moment. Because the word that you are claiming was spoken to you in this parliament, it does not mean to say that by repeating it continually it becomes parliamentary. It is still unparliamentary so, perhaps, when you ask your question you should not repeat that unparliamentary word.
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Speaker, as every member of this House is aware, I was sexually abused as a child and, for good reason, those matters have become public knowledge. There has been a whispering campaign surrounding me for months in an effort to deflect your government’s culpability of this minister’s arrogance. In the Centralian Advocate today, there is another insensitive and flippant comment by a Cabinet minister. That Cabinet minister said, when he saw a pink shirt in a pub: ‘That is something I would expect John Elferink to wear’. Chief Minister, was this minister Kon Vatskalis? If it was not him, who was it? Will you right now guarantee an apology to sexually abused people, gay and lesbian people, and every other person in the Territory who would be offended by your government’s flippant attitudes towards them?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it is interesting that the member for Macdonnell continues to raise this issue because, when the altercation - it was a verbal altercation and, in part, a physical altercation, initiated by the member for Macdonnell in February in the House …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! There was no physical aspect to this. He is just making it up.
Ms MARTIN: Madam Speaker, I dispute that. I watched the member walk across the House …
Madam SPEAKER: Before you dispute it, let me say, member for Macdonnell, you know you can make a personal explanation. Chief Minister, off you go, and could we have quick answers today?
Ms MARTIN: Madam Speaker, I do not want to give too much time to this, but you made a decision on what happened in the House. I have spoken to the member for Johnston, and told him what he said was inappropriate, and that he should not be provoked by inappropriate and offensive language from the member for Macdonnell. I made that very clear.
Madam Speaker, you made your decision about the incident. You gave the member for Macdonnell 24 hours from the House for his behaviour, and the member for Johnston one hour. Let us remember what your decision was. I know nothing about the incident the member is talking about. I believe this is well left behind us. I thought the member for Nightcliff really touched it in the adjournment debate last night when she said it is time to move on. It is seriously time to move on.
I would like to think that the issues we are discussing in this parliament are relevant ones for the community of Alice Springs and Central Australia, and that the member for Macdonnell should accept the ramifications of his behaviour …
Mr Dunham: Oh, give it a break!
Mr Elferink: I was not even in this …
Ms MARTIN: … when it happened in February, because he was thrown out of our Parliamentary House for 24 hours.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, let me clarify clearly. The withdrawal of the two members was the decision of the parliament. It was not my decision, it was a decision made by this parliament. I also remind members that we do have very young children in the gallery, that is why we should refrain from some of the language.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016