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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-12-01 Daily Xml
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Personal Explanation

MINISTER'S REMARKS

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg) (15:38): I seek leave to make a personal explanation.

Leave granted.

Ms CHAPMAN: Today, the Minister for Education and Child Development made a ministerial statement to the parliament in which, on no less than three occasions, she alleged that I, as the member for Bragg, had made allegations against the chief executive and members of, in her description, 'his senior staff', within her department.

Can I say, Madam Speaker, that, on those three occasions, which were followed by a request for an unreserved apology on the same, not only had I never made an allegation against the chief executive or senior members or the staff, but it—wait around, Grace; this is not about you and me, this is about children. You sit down! Come back here!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Ms CHAPMAN: Not only did I not say that—

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

The Hon. C.C. FOX: Point of order: I believe that it is unparliamentary to (a) refer to a member by their first name, and to (b) reflect on whether a person is in the chamber or not.

The SPEAKER: Yes, I will uphold that. Be careful, member for Bragg. You are very aware that we do not refer to people by name.

Ms CHAPMAN: I apologise if that's certainly recorded as your being referred to as Grace, because you could be nothing further from it.

Members interjecting:

Ms CHAPMAN: So may I say, Madam Speaker—

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Bragg!

Ms CHAPMAN: —not only had I not made that allegation, but indeed, it was the minister herself, on 23 November 2011, who made that assertion. I refer to the seven questions that were asked last week, most of them on 23 November 2011. The question for the minister, firstly—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Ms CHAPMAN: —on the child death in question, was specifically to—

The SPEAKER: Point of order. Minister for Transport.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: The capacity to make a personal explanation exists to make a short, factual statement of why you have been misrepresented. It is not—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: It is also out of order to interject, but that is what we expect from these people. It is not an opportunity for the member for Bragg to engage in a lengthy debate about the merits of her position on this, which is what she is seeking to do.

The SPEAKER: Thank you, Minister for Transport, I was coming to that conclusion myself. I think you need to wind up very quickly. You have strayed past the personal explanation.

Ms CHAPMAN: I am going to refer to the statements that I made to make it absolutely clear that I had made no such allegation in the questions asked. On the 23rd, I asked this question, which says, 'My question is about the process her department undertook in relation to an alleged case of child abuse', etc. In response, the minister said, 'I have said publicly, and I am going to say it again in this place, that this matter is currently before the police...' That is on the question of her own department.

Mrs Geraghty: No, you are now debating.

The SPEAKER: Yes. Member for Bragg, you have strayed into debate now. I think you have gone too far. You were to just respond to the comment.

Ms CHAPMAN: The second matter of personal explanation is, again, during this presentation by the minister to the parliament. She asserted that she was going to answer the question that she had been asked on the previous occasion about the department. I point out that she did not, and the reason—

The SPEAKER: Thank you, member for Bragg. I am going to ask you to sit down. You have strayed far beyond the personal explanation. You are now well and truly into debate.

Ms CHAPMAN: Well, I will ask you, Madam Speaker, to have a consideration of the very first question the Leader of the Opposition asked the minister in this place on 23 November—

The SPEAKER: Member for Bragg!

Ms CHAPMAN: —on which she said she would bring back an answer, and we still don't have an answer.

The SPEAKER: Member for Bragg, you will sit down!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Point of order. The member for Fisher.

The Hon. R.B. SUCH: It is 108. The member is allowed, according to 108, five minutes, but that can be extended by leave of the house for personal explanation. I do not believe the member has gone for five minutes.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: I point out to the member for Bragg, as she makes unnecessary reflections upon me—

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: Sit down. We already have one point of order. Sit down, member for MacKillop, until I hear this.

Mr WILLIAMS: Excuse me, Madam Speaker—

The SPEAKER: Member for MacKillop, you will sit down until I hear what the Minister for Transport has to say, then I will get you to get on your feet.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: I point out that reflections were made—

Mr PISONI: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: Sit down, member for Unley. We have a point of order. Member for Unley, you will sit down!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: The member for Bragg reflected on my motivations in saying she had no chance in making a statement. Can I point out to the member for Bragg that she makes that statement by the leave of the house, which I could have withdrawn at any time and did not do.

The SPEAKER: Thank you. Now, member for MacKillop.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr WILLIAMS: I was about to inquire on what authority the minister was speaking. He had not sought leave of the house to make an explanation.

The SPEAKER: I am sorry, member for MacKillop. I took it as a point of order and that was the authority he was speaking on. I am not quite sure whether it was a point of order, after hearing him; however, I have now heard your point of order, thank you. Member for Unley, did you have a point of order? Thank you.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! It is the last day of the year. We should be full of Christmas cheer; however, we certainly are not.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

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