Personal Explanation

Electoral Commissioner

Ms REDMOND (Heysen) (15:03): I seek leave to make a personal explanation.

Leave granted.

Ms REDMOND: Regarding the matter of the Electoral Commissioner and my statement to the house in the course of my Address in Reply, in which I described the Electoral Commissioner as being, in my view, utterly corrupt, and my further statement to the house on Tuesday evening this week, in which I explained at least in part, in the absence of my notes, some of the very serious matters concerning the commissioner upon which that opinion was based (as well as my view that the term 'corrupt' has a colloquial as well as a legal meaning), I have nevertheless formed the view that it is in the best interest of the house and indeed in my very own best interests that I unconditionally withdraw the words 'utterly corrupt' and apologise for any offence they may have caused.

The SPEAKER: Apropos of that, does the Deputy Premier wish to withdraw his point of privilege?

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Yes, Mr Speaker, and can I say we would not have had to have gone this far if that had been forthcoming earlier, but it has been forthcoming and I think it is important that the Electoral Commissioner has the satisfaction of that matter being now on the public record.