Question Time

QUESTIONS

Mrs REDMOND (Heysen—Leader of the Opposition) (14:06): My question is to the Premier. Why has the Premier decided to break his government's promise to the opposition to give them 10 questions in question time, especially given the Premier's call for new parliamentary standards and accountability?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Leader of Government Business in the House.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON (Elder—Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Minister for Housing and Urban Development) (14:06): I could be rising to take a point of order—which I will take before I answer the question: standing order 97, and believe me it is not my responsibility to educate you because I can't put in what God left out.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: The question—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: The question plainly contained—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Unley has a point of order. What is your point of order?

Mr PISONI: No. 125: offensive words against other members—I ask that it be withdrawn.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I'm not sure what offensive words you are referring to. I don't uphold that. Minister for Transport.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: I simply point out that, just as the Leader of the Opposition was caught yesterday, her question contains argument—and argument of an inflammatory nature: breaking a promise. To answer the question—

An honourable member interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: I think that we have, just as I attempted to start answering questions, the best example of why we cannot guarantee these people 10 questions.

Mrs Redmond: You used to.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: We used to and that is because, in the past, the behaviour of your side was—

Mr Pederick interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Hammond you are warned.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Again, I barely need to explain it. They do all the explaining for this side. They have disrupted question time not by wit, not by humour but by a barrage of yelling. Having gone missing at every opportunity they have had to be a proper opposition, they believe somehow—

Mrs Redmond interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Leader of the Opposition, you are warned also.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: They believe that they will somehow simply—

An honourable member interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: They believe that somehow they will—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Minister, can you sit down for a minute.

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Norwood, stop yelling.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: This is the behaviour that proves my point.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Point of order, Minister for Transport Services.

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Norwood, sit down. I have already called a point of order.

The Hon. C.C. FOX: I think my point of order is inappropriate language because last time I looked I don't think—and I quote—the word 'tosser' was not an appropriate word in this parliament. I may well be wrong.

The SPEAKER: Thank you, minister. 'Tosser' is not an appropriate word. I didn't hear it. Other people obviously did. I don't know who said 'tosser' and because I don't know who it was we won't follow on with it. Member for Norwood.

Mr MARSHALL: We on the opposition benches heard very clearly what the Minister for Small Business referred to the opposition as, and we ask him to immediately withdraw.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Minister for Trade, I do not know what you said.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I will have a look at the transcript later and see if there was anything recorded.

Mr MARSHALL: It was very clear, Madam Speaker.

The SPEAKER: Sit down, member for Norwood.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Minister for Transport.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Madam Speaker, as I have said, I do not think I could have programmed the opposition to behave in a way that made my point any more strongly than they have, that they simply interrupt question time—their question time, their opportunity to test the government—by their repeatedly disorderly behaviour. I would ask anyone who has observed this house in recent times to compare the behaviour on both sides, and it is—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: —and this side. What is—

Mrs Redmond interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, you are warned for the second time!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: I simply make the point that we on this side will be very happy to return to guaranteeing the opposition 10 questions when they cease to waste question time by their constant interruption. We will not reward—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: They honestly do believe, with nothing else to offer, that somehow they can yell their way to relevance. They cannot, and we will not extend question time for an opposition who have wasted it off their own bat. If they wish to return to some standards of behaviour, we will be more than happy to guarantee them 10 questions.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr Marshall: We can't hear the next question.

The SPEAKER: I have not called the next question. I will not call the next question until we have some quiet in here and some order, which is eating into your question time. The member for Light.