Questions Day 2 - Wednesday 30 April 1997
Parliamentary Record 33
Questions for 7th Assembly 1994 - 1997; ParliamentNT; Parliamentary Record; 7th Assembly 1994 - 1997
1997-04-30
Made available by the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
English
Questions
Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
Darwin
application/pdf
Attribution International 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)
Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/282302
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/413048
QUESTIONS - Wednesday 30 April 1997 by Territorians. Last week, the Country Liberal Party launched $50 000-worth of advertising, this time under the guise of promoting Territory Day. Will the Freedom o f Information Bill, that the Leader of the Opposition has introduced and is hoping to have enacted, allow Territorians to know just how many of their tax dollars are spent on political advertising by this government? ANSWER Mr Speaker, the freedom of information legislation that the Territory Labor Party proposes will do precisely that. It will open up the records of this government that remain secret and unaccountable to the people of the Northern Territory. Mr Hatton inteijecting. Mrs HICKEY: The member for Nightcliff is rudely inteijecting. If he sits quietly and listens, perhaps he will learn something. The opposition has persistently asked questions ... Mr Hatton inteijecting. Mrs HICKEY: The member for Nightcliff is at it again. I can take my time. Mr COULTER: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The member for Barkly may not take her time on questions asked in anticipation of legislation to come through this Assembly. This is the second day in a row on which the opposition has used the tactic of putting a question to the Leader of the Opposition based on the privacy bill that she has before the House. I believe that this tactic of anticipating debate must be wearing thin with you. How many times, Mr Speaker, will you allow a question based on the Notice Paper to be debated? That is what it is developing into. Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order. It is a device that has been used previously. In fact, if having a bill on the Notice Paper prevented questioning about it, it would be a device that would be used time and time again to prevent questioning. The question is appropriate, but I ask the Leader of the Opposition to respond in the terms of her bill and to respond as quickly as possible. Mrs HICKEY: Mr Speaker, I point out to the Leader of Government Business that the ChiefMinister started th is ... Mr Coulter inteijecting. Mr SPEAKER: Order! Mr Coulter inteijecting. Mr SPEAKER: The Leader of Government Business is treading on dangerous ground. Mrs HICKEY: The Freedom o f Information B ill that I introduced recently would oblige government ministers to bring forward evidence of details of such matters as ministerial 2099