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Hon SIMON O’BRIEN: Let us go straight to the serious matter of this bill. There is an age-old question of whether the word in the title should be “preventive” or “preventative”. The minister is just bursting to explain why we have gone for the over-the-top, extra-syllabic “preventative” rather than “preventive”, and I look forward to him telling us why, as the committee report asked about it.

Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich: Do they mean the same?

Hon SIMON O’BRIEN: According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it is “preventive”, but Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich should check it on Google.

Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich: No, I’ll leave that with you!

Hon SIMON O’BRIEN: There is never a 12-year-old kid around when one needs one!

The DEPUTY CHAIRMAN: Does the member not know how to google?

Hon SIMON O’BRIEN: I might google but only when it is near the time!

Subject: Terrorism (Preventative Detention) Bill 2005 [Legislative Council - Second Reading]

Date: 22 August 2006

Hansard reference: pp. 4880c - 4899a [online (pdf)]

Tags: parliament, perth, state government, wa, google, definitions