Hansard 22 June 1994
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Legislative Assembly 8379 22 June 1994 WEDNESDAY, 22 JUNE 1994 From Mr Lingard (1 247 signatories) praying that the Parliament of Queensland will instigate a referendum for the return of capital and corporal punishment. Mr SPEAKER (Hon. J. Fouras, Ashgrove) read prayers and took the chair at 10 a.m. Prince Charles Hospital From Mr T.B. Sullivan (22 486 DISTINGUISHED VISITOR signatories) praying that the proposal to relocate the Prince Charles Hospital cardiothoracic unit to Mr SPEAKER: Order! I wish to advise the the Royal Brisbane Hospital be rescinded. House that Ann Levy, a member of the Upper House in South Australia and shadow Minister for Petitions received. Consumer Affairs, is in the Speaker's Gallery. Honourable members: Hear, hear! STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS In accordance with the schedule circulated by the Clerk to members in the Chamber, the PAPER TABLED DURING RECESS following documents were tabled— Mr SPEAKER: Order! I have to advise the Casino Control Act— House that a report was tabled during the recess Rules of Casino Games Amendment Notice as outlined on the Daily Program circulated to (No. 1) 1994, No. 205 members in the Chamber. Recreation Areas Management Act— Recreation Areas Management Amendment PETITIONS Regulation (No. 1) 1994, No. 203. The Clerk announced the receipt of the following petitions— PAPER The following paper was laid on the table— Sentencing Procedures Minister for Family Services and Aboriginal and From Mr Lester (12 signatories) praying Islander Affairs (Ms Warner)— that appropriate steps be taken to ensure that Queensland’s Forward Plan on Ageing. prisoners serve the full sentence handed down by the courts upon a conviction. LEAVE TO MOVE MOTION WITHOUT A similar petition was received from Mr NOTICE Turner (8 signatories). Mr BORBIDGE (Surfers Paradise— Leader of the Opposition) (2.34 p.m.): I seek Capital Punishment leave to move a motion without notice regarding the stealth tax. From Mr Perrett (91 signatories) praying Question—That leave be granted—put; that capital punishment be reintroduced for and the House divided— persons convicted of murder, particularly the murder of children, and that if not reintroduced, AYES, 34—Beanland, Borbidge, Connor, Cooper, prison terms imposed for such crimes be served Davidson, Elliott, FitzGerald, Gamin, Gilmore, in full. Goss J. N., Grice, Healy, Hobbs, Horan, Johnson, Lester, Lingard, Littleproud, McCauley, Malone, Mitchell, Perrett, Quinn, Rowell, Santoro, Sheldon, Subcontractors and Suppliers Simpson, Slack, Stephan, Stoneman, Veivers, Watson Tellers: Springborg, Laming From Mr Campbell (13 signatories) praying that the Parliament of Queensland will NOES, 47—Ardill, Barton, Beattie, Bennett, Bird, protect the rights of subcontractors and Braddy, Briskey, Budd, Burns, Campbell, Casey, suppliers by amending the Legal Aid Act, praying Comben, Davies, De Lacy, Dollin, Edmond, Elder, for the establishment of an insurance fund to Fenlon, Foley, Gibbs, Goss W. K., Hamill, Hayward, guarantee full payment for goods and services Hollis, Mackenroth, McElligott, McGrady, Nunn, and praying that the Companies Act, which Nuttall, Pearce, Power, Purcell, Pyke, Robertson, shields directors from litigation, be amended. Robson, Rose, Spence, Sullivan J. H., Sullivan T. B., Szczerbanik, Vaughan, Warner, Welford, Wells, Capital and Corporal Punishment Woodgate Tellers: Pitt, Livingstone 22 June 1994 8380 Legislative Assembly Resolved in the negative. NOES, 48—Ardill, Barton, Beattie, Bennett, Bird, Braddy, Briskey, Budd, Burns, Campbell, Casey, Comben, Davies, De Lacy, Dollin, Edmond, Elder, PRIVILEGE Fenlon, Foley, Gibbs, Goss W. K., Hamill, Hayward, Speaker's Ruling Hollis, Mackenroth, McElligott, McGrady, Milliner, Mrs SHELDON (Caloundra—Leader of Nunn, Nuttall, Pearce, Power, Purcell, Pyke, the Liberal Party) (2.41 p.m): Mr Speaker, I rise Robertson, Robson, Rose, Spence, Sullivan J. H., on a matter of privilege. During the sittings of this Sullivan T. B., Szczerbanik, Vaughan, Warner, House since the Appropriation Bill was Welford, Wells, Woodgate Tellers: Pitt, Livingstone introduced on 31 May, you have allowed many Resolved in the negative. questions relating to the Budget to be asked and answered. As a member of Parliament—— PRIVILEGE Mr SPEAKER: Order! This is not a matter Mr G. Abbott of privilege. Is it related to my ruling about the questions? Mrs SHELDON (Caloundra—Leader of the Liberal Party) (2.48 p.m.): I rise on a matter of Mrs SHELDON: No. privilege. I draw your attention to a question Mr SPEAKER: Order! All right. without notice I asked—— Mrs SHELDON: As a member of Mr SPEAKER: Order! It is not a matter of Parliament, I find it outrageous that you have privilege. ruled against questions relating to the Mrs SHELDON: Mr Speaker, I seek your Government's imposing unfair performance ruling on this. dividends on council borrowings while allowing Government and non-Government members to Mr SPEAKER: Order! The previous ask questions relating to almost every other matter was not a matter of privilege. aspect of the Budget and the Estimates. In light Mrs SHELDON: It is not related to that at of your previous rulings, I believe it is a breach of all. privilege for Opposition members to be denied Mr SPEAKER: Order! That was not a this line of questioning, and I ask for your ruling matter of privilege all the same. I would like to on this matter. hear this. I hope it is a matter of privilege that the Mr SPEAKER: Order! That is not a matter honourable member is raising. of privilege. Is there any other business? Mrs SHELDON: I ask for your ruling, Mr Mr FITZGERALD: I move— Speaker. I draw your attention to a question "That so much of the Standing Orders without notice I asked the Minister for Justice and be suspended as to allow the motion of Attorney-General last Friday, 17 June, in regard dissent against the Speaker's ruling to be to whether or not indemnity was granted to debated forthwith so that this matter can be Glenn Abbott. I also draw your attention to the decided by the House." fact that the Minister stated he could not answer the question, and he asked for the question to Mr SPEAKER: Order! That is out of order. be placed on notice. The member cannot move that procedural motion. The Minister, later that day, then used a radio interview to answer the question before his answer could be placed on the notice paper or, LEAVE TO MOVE MOTION WITHOUT indeed, given to me. I feel that this is a serious NOTICE impediment to my position as a member of Mr FITZGERALD (Lockyer) (2.42 p.m.): I Parliament, when a question I have asked has seek leave to move a motion without notice. been answered on the public airwaves before that answer has been provided to me or to this Question—That leave be granted—put; House. I ask for your ruling on this matter, Mr and the House divided— Speaker. AYES, 34—Beanland, Borbidge, Connor, Cooper, Mr SPEAKER: Order! I have already Davidson, Elliott, FitzGerald, Gamin, Gilmore, advised members recently in the House of the Goss J. N., Grice, Healy, Hobbs, Horan, Johnson, process for dealing with matters of privilege. That Lester, Lingard, Littleproud, McCauley, Mitchell, is the proper process we should follow. There Perrett, Quinn, Rowell, Santoro, Sheldon, Simpson, was a recommendation of a Select Committee of Slack, Stephan, Stoneman, Turner, Veivers, Watson Privileges with regard to that. I suggest that that Tellers: Springborg, Laming is the way we should go. The Deputy Leader of Legislative Assembly 8381 22 June 1994 the Coalition should write to me about that that there was no such indemnity granted, matter. considered or even applied for. The honourable Any member, of course, can rise at any time member was on another fishing expedition, and in this House and refer matters of privilege to the she has got it wrong again. Privileges Committee, and that is for the House to decide. I am not going to be ruling on matters 2. Electricity Tariffs of privilege on my feet like that, because that is a process I am not going to use. Mr ELLIOTT asked the Minister for Minerals and Energy— Mrs SHELDON: I ask then that this be referred to the Privileges Committee. "With reference to the capital and tariff disparities between electricity supply in the Mr Mackenroth interjected. North West electricity area along the Mrs SHELDON: The honourable member Southern Queensland border, as compared is a joke. to the SWQEB area and to the ongoing Mr SPEAKER: Order! The question is negotiations between Queensland that the matter be referred to the Privileges authorities and the North West Electricity Committees. Those of that opinion say "Aye", to Authority— the contrary "No"; I think the "Ayes" have it. Will he use the equalisation of tariffs or some other instrument to rectify this disparity, thereby removing the disincentive QUESTIONS UPON NOTICE for value added industries to locate in this 1. Mr G. Abbott area and rectify the inequitable treatment of Mrs SHELDON asked the Minister for Queenslanders in this region?" Justice and Attorney-General and Minister for the Mr McGRADY: I acknowledge that Arts— negotiations are continuing between the "I refer to Glenn Abbott also known as Queensland Electricity Commission and the New Glenn Woodcock, the man who after South Wales North West Electricity authority, months of continually harassing threatening which supplies power to some 4 000 to kill Sherilee Teague was never charged Queenslanders around the Goondiwindi area. with stalking, but was yesterday fined a There is even the possibility that Queensland will paltry $400 for breaking a domestic violence take that franchise back from New South Wales order— and supply the area with a new line from Chinchilla. However, in the interests of I table a courtroom transcript Queensland consumers, that is not a sure documenting Police Operation Ginger, in process and many factors must be considered which Abbott who is referred to only as a before that action will be taken.