Mrs HICKEY - 1995-08-22
Last week, the Chief Minister made the recent Labor Party membership of the former Chief Electoral Officer, Mr Charlie Phillips, central to his defence against charges of alleged interference with the Electoral Office. In the NT News of 18 August, the Chief Minister is reported to have said that one of the public servants involved was not a member of the CLP at the time of the lead-up to the 1990 Territory general election. The author of the news report disputes this, and says that his sources tell him that this senior public servant has been a member of the CLP for 12 years. Has the Chief Minister been careless with the truth or is the reported information inaccurate?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I do not walk around asking public servants whether they are members of the CLP or, for that matter, the ALP.
Mr Ede: You said it.
Mr STONE: The member can come into this Chamber and ask me a question based on a newspaper report. Members opposite seem to rely on the newspapers for most of their research. It is indicative of how lazy they are. They seem incapable ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr Stirling: This is another one you stole from us.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I remind members on the opposition benches that they were warned last week for continuing to talk over the Speaker. The next member to do so will be warned and, following that, named.
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Mr STONE: Where are the questions about the major issues affecting the Territory? What does the opposition lead with every day? Discussion papers that were released some time ago, newspaper reports about whether someone is a member of the CLP or not ...
Members interjecting.
Mr STONE: Members opposite had their opportunity to debate all these issues when we amended the Electoral Act. It was one of the most woeful performances I have ever seen. Given the big build-up they had created about all the terrible things that were supposed to be wrong, one would have expected the opposition to propose a raft of amendments. There was not one.
Mr Bailey: We opposed the whole bill.
Mr STONE: That indicates how prepared they were. It may also indicate how lazy they are.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I do not walk around asking public servants whether they are members of the CLP or, for that matter, the ALP.
Mr Ede: You said it.
Mr STONE: The member can come into this Chamber and ask me a question based on a newspaper report. Members opposite seem to rely on the newspapers for most of their research. It is indicative of how lazy they are. They seem incapable ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr Stirling: This is another one you stole from us.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I remind members on the opposition benches that they were warned last week for continuing to talk over the Speaker. The next member to do so will be warned and, following that, named.
Page 743
Mr STONE: Where are the questions about the major issues affecting the Territory? What does the opposition lead with every day? Discussion papers that were released some time ago, newspaper reports about whether someone is a member of the CLP or not ...
Members interjecting.
Mr STONE: Members opposite had their opportunity to debate all these issues when we amended the Electoral Act. It was one of the most woeful performances I have ever seen. Given the big build-up they had created about all the terrible things that were supposed to be wrong, one would have expected the opposition to propose a raft of amendments. There was not one.
Mr Bailey: We opposed the whole bill.
Mr STONE: That indicates how prepared they were. It may also indicate how lazy they are.
Page 744
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016