Personal Explanation

MEMBER'S REMARKS

Mr PENGILLY (Finniss) (17:08): I seek leave to make a personal explanation.

Leave granted.

Mr PENGILLY: The member for Light, in his Address in Reply speech, tried to indicate that I had made some derogatory remarks about local government in South Australia. I strongly repudiate that. Indeed, what I said this morning, as recorded in Hansard, was:

I talked earlier about councils and I want to return to councils. I, along with others in this place, had time in local government. In the 17 years I had there, I thought the world revolved around local government. You learn very quickly when you come into this chamber that local government does not count for a lot in the scheme of things.

Hardly derogatory. It continues:

It is a bit like us with the feds, in that we do not count for a lot with the federal parliament.

I believe that the member for Light had misrepresented what I said, and I—

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON: On a point of order, this is a personal explanation, as I understand it, and it is not to contain debate or argument. A simple recital of what the member for Finniss actually said should be sufficient.

An honourable member: That's what he's doing.

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON: No, he is now arguing.

The SPEAKER: Member for Finniss, are you comfortable with that? I agree with the point of order. I am reading standing order 108.

Mr PENGILLY: I have concluded what I wanted to say. The fact is that I was misrepresented by the member for Light.