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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
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Parliamentary Procedure

Standing Orders Suspension

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (11:02): I move:

That standing orders be so far suspended as to enable me to move a motion without notice forthwith.

The SPEAKER: There is an absolute majority. Is the motion seconded?

An honourable member: Yes, sir.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens) (11:02): I rise in opposition to the suspension of standing orders. This is a stunt, pure and simple. How can we possibly debate a motion that the opposition was given less than half an hour ago? When we started the parliament last year, after the Premier's election victory, the manager of government business and I reached an agreement that there would be no surprises. Here we are again, 12 months later, with the same thing again.

There are practices and procedures in this place, and courtesy afforded to the opposition would have been a telephone call, a copy in advance of the motion and the reasons why the motion took precedence over the other pieces of legislation. As thin as it is, at the very least the government could have had the courtesy to inform the opposition. They did not.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members! Order! The member for West Torrens is entitled to speak.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: This is being done on the run. It is a breach of convention. Convention states quite clearly that the opposition is informed well in advance of these matters. Indeed, I understand the government has many speakers on this motion already prearranged to take up most of the day's agenda. I have to say: given the obvious political interest in the royal commission, how can we possibly debate this motion when minister Speirs has so many questions to answer to this parliament? This is—

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Point of order, sir.

The SPEAKER: There is a point of order, member for West Torrens. One moment.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: The member is the father of the house; he knows not to refer to members by their names.

The SPEAKER: Yes, that is the case. I do see where this is going.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Members on my right, be quiet. The member for West Torrens does know better.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Sir, I apologise. I will address the minister by his future title: the member for Black. It is a stunt and a cover-up by an inept government—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —that has run out of steam and agenda only 11 months after being elected. I think that the media and the public will see through this for what it is: a desperate attempt to cover up what is going to happen over the next three days in question time. There are serious questions that need to be answered about the way the government has maladministered its roles in managing water resources, and this motion should not be debated.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for West Torrens, please do not provoke the government. Members on my right, do not respond. Is the member for West Torrens finished? You are. Minister for Education.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education) (11:05): The member's comments would sound a lot less precious and less churlish were they not following 16 years of the Labor Party in government regularly moving motions without prior notice—regularly. As the leader of opposition business for a period of time—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: —this is something that happened from time to time. We would have a discussion with a staff member from the Labor Party and then an hour later all of a sudden everything has changed.

The Hon. S.C. Mullighan interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Lee!

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: The convention that the member for West Torrens speaks of—

The Hon. S.K. Knoll: So you don't want to debate the Murray?

The SPEAKER: Minister for Transport!

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: —is certainly not in jeopardy. The idea of a motion where we could debate the River Murray, something that is so utterly important to every South Australian given the full weight of debate—

The Hon. L.W.K. Bignell interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Mawson!

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: —in the House of Assembly, the representative chamber of the people of South Australia—surely, what could be a higher priority for all South Australians? What better way to give it that priority than by giving it a debate in the House of Assembly? The member says 'cover-up': it is an extraordinary claim. It is a laughable speech, and this motion is worthy of the house's support.

The house divided on the motion:

Ayes 24

Noes 16

Majority 8

AYES
Basham, D.K.B. Chapman, V.A. Cowdrey, M.J.
Cregan, D. Duluk, S. Ellis, F.J.
Gardner, J.A.W. Harvey, R.M. (teller) Knoll, S.K.
Luethen, P. Marshall, S.S. McBride, N.
Murray, S. Patterson, S.J.R. Pederick, A.S.
Pisoni, D.G. Power, C. Sanderson, R.
Speirs, D.J. Teague, J.B. Treloar, P.A.
van Holst Pellekaan, D.C. Whetstone, T.J. Wingard, C.L.
NOES
Bettison, Z.L. Bignell, L.W.K. Boyer, B.I.
Brown, M.E. (teller) Close, S.E. Cook, N.F.
Hildyard, K.A. Hughes, E.J. Koutsantonis, A.
Malinauskas, P. Mullighan, S.C. Odenwalder, L.K.
Piccolo, A. Picton, C.J. Stinson, J.M.
Wortley, D.

Motion thus carried.

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