Extract from Hansard [COUNCIL - Tuesday, 25 May 2010] p3220b-3221a Hon Ken Travers HON PETER COLLIER — INTERJECTION COMMENT Statement HON KEN TRAVERS (North Metropolitan) [10.14 pm]: Hon Peter Collier made an interjection on Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich to the effect that when Eric Ripper goes, she will be gone. I have not heard a more sexist comment in this place for a long time. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich is a member of Parliament in her own right. She is respected by members on this side of the house. She is held in high regard on this side of the house. We watch her tear the Minister for Training and Workforce Development to shreds on a daily basis when he cannot answer questions. His retort is to come into this place and make pathetic comments by somehow suggesting that Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich is here only because of Eric Ripper. That is an absolute nonsense. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich was elected to this Parliament as a member in her own right because the Labor Party recognised she had abilities and competencies. That was a disgusting comment. If members want to make those sorts of comments — Several members interjected. The PRESIDENT: Order, members! Just calm down. It is nearing the end of the evening. We do not need any more cross-chamber interruptions. Hon KEN TRAVERS: I look forward to Hon Peter Collier referring to these comments in Hansard. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich gets stuck into the minister, but she plays the ball; she does not play the man. If the minister wants to play the man, we can talk about how he became a member of this place and how his forgeries got him into this place. Hon Peter Collier: Say it outside the chamber. Hon KEN TRAVERS: Why? I just said it to the member here and now. We have not raised those issues for some time. If Hon Peter Collier wants to say that Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich is here only because of her connection to Eric Ripper, go ahead and we will start talking about the minister’s role in forgeries. If that is the level he wants to take the debate, by all means go ahead. I know who will come out on top. We can look at a range of areas that relate to how the minister became a member in this place, how he recruited members into the Liberal Party and how when he was a teacher he recruited some of his students into the Liberal Party. The minister should tell us what he wants to talk about. Feel free to bring it into the chamber. Feel free to bring the debate down to that level. If the minister wants to take it to that level, we will go down there. Apart from anything else, Hon Peter Collier owes Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich an apology. Several members interjected. The PRESIDENT: Order, members! Hon KEN TRAVERS: I hope the minister reflects on his comments that Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich is only a member because of a connection she has to Eric Ripper. I can assure the minister that that is not correct. She is here because the Australian Labor Party recognises she is a good operator. I watch her daily. She shows she is a good operator because she highlights the fact that the minister does not have a clue about what is going on in his portfolio. House adjourned at 10.16 pm __________ [1] .