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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-10-14 Daily Xml
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Personal Explanation

Indigenous Communities Funding

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier) (14:11): I seek leave to make a personal explanation.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: We have had the spectacle of the member for Morphett coming into this house—

Mr PISONI: Point of order: this is not a personal explanation, this is a speech.

The SPEAKER: I will listen carefully to make sure the Premier confines himself to a personal explanation rather than debate the matter.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Thank you, Mr Speaker. The member for Morphett comes into this house at the beginning of the session today and makes the gravest of allegations against a member, which is that a member misled this house. In the terms of what was recounted to this house—

An honourable member interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I think we had better give the Premier a while to address the matter.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: In the terms that he brought into this place—so the very words that he used—he suggested that some agreement had been reached, and that was the gravamen of the misleading, but also in the very same complaint he referred to the fact that there had been an exchange of correspondence, which documented that—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I think we are leading up to the point; I can feel it very close.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: He said—

Dr McFetridge: I am happy to read the letters in, mate; I am happy to read the letters.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Was this the Leader of the Opposition's idea? Is this part of questioning too?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Premier will return to a personal explanation.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: So references were made—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I will withdraw leave if the Premier strays again.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Thank you, Mr Speaker. References were made by the member for Morphett, in his explanation to try to persuade you that there was a prima facie case, to correspondence between Mr Brough as the then minister for Aboriginal affairs and me as the then minister for Aboriginal affairs. He sought to rely upon that material as the basis for saying that there had been a misleading. What he did not do was to table or to provide to the house some of the text of the material. One of the letters—a letter he referred to—was—

Ms CHAPMAN: Point of order: this is a debate in respect of a matter which you have already determined.

The SPEAKER: No, what the Premier is doing is offering to the house facts pertinent to the allegation.

Ms CHAPMAN: There is nothing before the house.

The SPEAKER: Other facts that would tend to exculpate him from the allegation. While the Premier continues to offer facts that would tend to exculpate him by way of explanation, he will maintain leave.

Ms CHAPMAN: Then, I move:

That the Premier's leave be withdrawn.

The SPEAKER: No, leave has been granted and only I can withdraw leave now.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Thank you, Mr Speaker. In the short period I have had to be able to gather some of the correspondence, there was a reference in the member for Morphett's earlier remarks to a letter by Mr Brough of 20 July to the South Australian Aboriginal Lands Parliamentary Standing Committee. That was part of the point that the member for Morphett was seeking to make. I make reference to that letter in my letter to Mr Brough. This is the letter that the member for Morphett is relying upon to say that I have misled. I make reference to it—

Dr McFetridge interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I make reference to your letter in my letter to Mr Brough. Your letter—

The SPEAKER: I am advised that any member of the parliament can withdraw leave. However, if leave is withdrawn at this point, I imagine it will lead to a cycle of retaliation so terrible that we should not contemplate it. However, if you wish to withdraw leave, I will allow it.

Ms CHAPMAN: Thank you, sir. I have so moved.

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