The sound of silencers

Mr R.F. JOHNSON: [...] I concur with the comments of my colleague the shadow Minister for Police, the member for Kalgoorlie, about paintball. I have never played it, but it sounds like fun. I do not see that there is a problem with it, provided it is done with instruction and the proper protective clothing is worn. The game is fine as long as the necessary constraints are in place. We have had this debate many times over many years. I remember that when we were in government we were lobbied by people who wanted to be able to play paintball. Why should they not be able to play? I suppose a bit of commonsense is prevailing with the inclusion of these provisions. I suggest that mainly younger people like to play paintball. There should be some sort of age limit for young people who want to play this game. I would not want to see 10-year-olds -

Mr N.R. Marlborough: It is very physical. It should be restricted to people under 60 years of age. Never mind the young ones - keep the old ones out of it. They die without being hit.

Mr R.F. JOHNSON: The old ones are more dangerous. The member for Peel would know that. The Opposition supports paintball not being illegal. We do not think it is reasonable to make it illegal.

Let us look at other parts of the Bill. I concur with the comments of my colleague the shadow Minister for Police, the member for Kalgoorlie, about silencers. He speaks a lot of sense in this place.

Ms J.A. Radisich interjected.

Mr R.F. JOHNSON: What was that? The member for Swan Hills wants to interject on me. Do not raise your eyebrows at me, young lady - you cheeky thing. Mr Acting Speaker, she is raising her eyebrows at me.

Ms J.A. Radisich: Don’t call me that. You are lucky I let you get away with that.

Mr R.F. JOHNSON: My friend the Minister for Small Business is returning to his seat. I feel an interjection coming on.

Ms A.J. MacTiernan: Sit down and get your composure back.

Mr R.F. JOHNSON: The minister’s colleague the Leader of the House wants us to keep going until 11 o’clock. I am trying to help him. I am doing my bit for the Leader of the House.

Mr R.C. Kucera interjected.

Mr R.F. JOHNSON: Is the Minister for Small Business trying to coax the Acting Speaker?

Mr R.C. Kucera: I am making sure that you withdraw that disgusting comment about this lady here.

Mr R.F. JOHNSON: What disgusting comment? I do not make disgusting comments about young ladies.

Mr P.D. Omodei: Why don’t you call a point of order?

Mr R.F. JOHNSON: If the minister thinks I made that comment, he should stand and call a point of order. I would never dream of making a disgusting comment. Gracious me! The minister should not try to verbal me. He will not get anywhere verballing me.

As I was saying about silencers -

Mrs M.H. Roberts: Silence is golden.

Mr R.F. JOHNSON: Silence would be golden. We would all like a bit of solitude and silence now. That was certainly on my mind half an hour ago. It would be rather nice to have some silence.

I am talking about silencers on firearms. I want to get back to the Bill before the House. I get sick and tired of distractions from members opposite, who are trying to prevent me saying the words which I want to say and which I firmly believe.

Ms A.J. MacTiernan: You are the most wanton seeker of interjections who has ever spoken.

Mr R.F. JOHNSON: I do not know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr A.P. O’Gorman): Members! The member for Hillarys is trying to return to the Bill. The numerous interjections from this side are preventing him doing that. I want to hear the end of his speech.

Subject: Firearms Amendment Bill 2003 [Legislative Assembly - Second Reading]

Date: 2 March 2004

Hansard reference: pp. 121b - 134a [online (pdf)]

Tags: wa, state government, perth, parliament

This year's models

MR T.R. BUSWELL (Vasse - Deputy Leader of the Opposition) [4.17 pm]: [...] I know that the Treasurer is on a fairly tight time line. I know that tomorrow is his moment in the sun. He will turn up at Parliament House just before two o’clock in the afternoon in his government car. The cameras will be there. He will step out briskly and walk into the chamber. We have heard today that a photographer from The West Australian will capture the moment for posterity, so I assume that the Treasurer will need to get away early tonight for a tizzy up or some such thing.

Ms J.A. Radisich: I reckon he is looking pretty good!

Mr T.R. BUSWELL: I reckon he is looking pretty good as well. Enough indulgence. Before I go on, I should point out to the Treasurer that there has been a rumour in the corridors of Parliament -

Mr F.M. Logan: About you!

Mr T.R. BUSWELL: I am involved in it. There is a rumour that members of Parliament should come together to create an MPs calendar for sale and distribution across Western Australia to raise funds for an identified charity. It was put to me that perhaps the Treasurer and I could be the joint Mr Januarys in our Speedos or some such thing! With that thought, as I do not want to put the Treasurer off sleeping tonight, I will move on. There are a couple of serious matters -

Mr M. McGowan: Shane Warne style.

Mr T.R. BUSWELL: Yes, but will the bunny ears be up or down? I will move on.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Dr S.C. Thomas): I ask the member to move on to the substance of the debate.

Subject: Actual Government Spending and Budget Estimates [Legislative Assembly - Motion]

Date: 10 May 2006

Hansard reference: pp. 2513b - 2526a [online (pdf)]

Tags: wa, state government, perth, parliament, calendar

Putting the mochas on

Mr T. BUSWELL: [...] The Treasurer said that daylight saving will help to make this state more energetic and engaging and a better place for tourists to visit. I accept that may be a valid argument. However, I mulled over that and asked what state in Australia would I regard as an energetic and exciting state from a tourism perspective. The answer is Queensland - the Gold Coast and Cairns.

Ms J.A. Radisich: Victoria.

Mr T. BUSWELL: Victoria is hardly the tourism capital of Australia! I know that for the inner city, latte sipping Labor sorts, a trip to Melbourne -

Mr J.B. D’Orazio: That is what you are.

Mr T. BUSWELL: I come from a regional centre where we grind our way out of the dirt.

Mr J.B. D’Orazio: I saw you sipping latte.

Mr T. BUSWELL: By the bye, I am a flat-white fellow - I cannot pronounce “latte”.

Subject: Daylight Saving Bill (no. 2) 2006 [Legislative Assembly - Standing Orders Suspension - Motion]

Date: 31 October 2006

Hansard reference: pp. 7886b - 7952a [online (pdf)]

Tags: wa, state government, perth, parliament, dst, daylight saving, latte

Effervescent, or, more than Greenough?

Ms J.A. RADISICH: [...] It is my opinion that fizzy drinks do not have a place in schools. I am sure some people will disagree with me. Some schools have said that their canteens need to sell junk food and fizzy drinks to make money. It is not an acceptable argument. I put it to the government that if it is the case that this issue is about providing funding to schools rather than what kids are eating, it becomes a separate issue that needs consideration.

Mr A.D. McRae: What sort of fizzy drinks are you talking about?

Ms J.A. RADISICH: I thank the member for Riverton for asking.

Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: Did you prompt him?

Ms J.A. RADISICH: No, I did not. However, he did well.

I looked at the nutritional content, or lack thereof, of some fizzy drinks that currently are available in some schools. It is cause for great alarm, which I will demonstrate. For example, Coca-Cola and Sprite are common drinks that are available to children at some schools, drinks that I am sure many members have ingested on occasion. Members know that Sprite and Coke have a high sugar content. It is something in the order of 16 teaspoons of sugar in just one can of drink. Professor Dingle from Murdoch University has stated that if we stopped drinking two cans of these drinks per day, we would all lose half a kilo per month.

Mr G. Woodhams: I will disappear!

Ms J.A. RADISICH: The member for Greenough needs to keep drinking them, but the rest of us could probably cut back.

Subject: Appropriation (Consolidated Fund) Bill (no. 1) 2006 [Legislative Assembly Second Reading - Cognate Debate]

Date: 17 May 2006

Hansard reference: pp. 2794b - 2848a [online (pdf)]

Tags: parliament, perth, state government, wa, fizzy drinks, soft drinks