Parliamentary record : Part I debates (30 November 1989)
Debates for 5th Assembly 1987 - 1990; ParliamentNT; Parliamentary Record; 5th Assembly 1987 - 1990
1989-11-30
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Debates
Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
Darwin
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https://hdl.handle.net/10070/220363
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/699438
DEBATES - Thursday 30 November 1989 Department of Correctional Services, for which I have recently taken responsi bil ity. Mr Speaker, I would like to touch on a couple of memorable occasions which have occurred during the year. If I had to give an award for the most memorable occasion, it would go to the member for Stuart for his call for the protection of blue cows, polka dot cows, steel grey cows or whatever cows they might be. It was very courageous of him to go on national radio and support the cause of the blue cows. If he gets the award, he really should share it with the wag who set him up to do it, as I indicated earlier. All is not lost for the honourable member, Mr Speaker, because I have been supplied with a picture of a blue cow. Blue cows exist, if only in fairy tales, so there is still some hope for the member for Stuart. I table this fine depiction of a blue cow, something I am sure the member for Stuart will be proud of. The second prize for the most memorable occasion of the year goes to the Leader of Government Business. Earlier in the year, when the Chief Minister was in full flight delivering his speech on the Fitzgerald Inquiry, the Leader of Government Business came into the Chamber. He had just received some news in relation to a fellow who was having a few problems with his chooks. The Leader of Government Business, myself and the Chief Minister had been discussing the matter over a considerable period. The Leader of Government Business wrote a quick note to the Chief Minister saying: 'The chooks are okay'. He handed it to the Chief Minister who was totally perplexed and distracted from his cause. He commented later that it was no wonder that he was a bit distracted from his cause and a bit perplexed from time to time when he had interruptions of that nature. Therefore, the second prize goes to the Leader of Government Business and member for Palmerston. Certainly, it should be on the public record that the chooks are okay. It has become part of the folklore in this place and certainly should be recorded. Mr Speaker, in closing, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all members, the staff of the Legislative Assembly and the Hansard staff a Merry Christmas. I look forward to working with them again in the coming year. MATTER OF PRIVILEGE Mr SPEAKER: Order! This afternoon, the Leader of the Opposition raised a matter of privilege. I advise honourable members that. on 27 October 1989. I wrote to the Chief Minister concerning sitting dates for 1990. In that letter. I referred to undertakings given by the Leader of Government Business that the Assembly would sit for an additional 3 days in 1990. I was informed that the Leader of Government Business and the Clerk had discussed the proposed sitting dates prior to the government forwarding them to me for my consideration and that it had been decided to hold the additional sitting days when the workload of the Assembly created the most need for them. Under these circumstances, I agreed to the proposed dates. Perhaps I was remiss in not advising honourable members of this fact in my memorandum of today's date. I did not anticipate the resulting furore and honourable members are aware that the agreed sitting dates, to some extent, are indicative and are subject to change. Indeed. the sessional order empowering the Speaker to vary sitting dates and times envisages this. Therefore. I do not believe that the Leader of Government Business misled either the Standing Orders Committee or the Assembly, and I do not intend to refer the matter to the Committee of Privileges. 8551