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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2007-11-14 Daily Xml
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Question Time

TRAM DERAILMENT

Mr HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite—Leader of the Opposition) (14:34): Does the Minister for Transport stand by his remarks that driver negligence and error was the sole cause of the tram derailment in the vicinity of South Terrace, Veale Gardens, on Melbourne Cup day? If so, what disciplinary action has he taken against the driver concerned?

The Hon. P.F. CONLON (Elder—Minister for Transport, Minister for Infrastructure, Minister for Energy) (14:34): Once again, in the guise of a question the Leader of the Opposition slips in comment—in fact, verbals what I had to say. Let me tell you what I did have to say. What I had to say was that I did not like responding before a full investigation had been held. I made that absolutely clear. I also made it clear that because the opposition had been out engaging in flagrant dishonesty—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: I will answer the completely dishonest allegations, even made in the question itself, because I did not say that.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: She really does sound like an angle grinder, doesn't she; it would give you a headache. The truth is that I said—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: It just shows you, sir, that what we are seeing today is that they are not interested in the public transport system. If they were interested in the public transport system he would have sacked his frontbencher who was out there calling the union to engage in an illegal strike. That is what he would have done, but they are not interested.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Dr McFETRIDGE: On a point of order: I am flattered, Mr Speaker, that he thinks I can call a strike with one line.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: If he wants to ask a question I will refer to what the union said he told them to do. But I come back to the point. The opposition leader in his question said that I said something. This is what I said. I said, in answer to them, that I did not want to talk about it before the investigation, but because they had been out making up complete untruths—the opposition leader said the track was wrong and we had to tear it all up. Absolutely untrue.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: It was absolutely untrue. So what I said was—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: And he is also saying that we have tendered for that track. It is all so untrue. Can you tell the truth ever?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Once again, for the Leader of the Opposition, it is absolutely untrue—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: He should stop saying that that track is faulty. That track is there and there to stay. There is no tender for it. He is making it up. He is not telling the truth. That is why I had to go out and give a version of events closer to the truth, and I said I would prefer to wait. But I will confirm this for him: there is absolutely no doubt, again, and I will wait for the complete investigation, there is absolutely no doubt it was human error.

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