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

Lock it in

Mr P.D. OMODEI: Does the member know what karnal bunt is?

Ms M.M. QUIRK: I certainly do, member for Warren-Blackwood. I have a copy of the wheat industry biosecurity plan of July 2002, which notes that there has been a low level of surveillance for karnal bunt in the sampling of grain receivals. In July 2002 the risk was assessed as being relatively low. Given the observations in the budget papers, has the parliamentary secretary reassessed the threat of karnal bunt?

Mr F.M. LOGAN: At this point is it possible for me to phone a friend?

The CHAIRMAN: You may have a lifeline!

Mr F.M. LOGAN: Maybe I can go for a 50-50! I will be able to answer this question because I know the member for Girrawheen has a particular fascination with karnal bunt. I am glad that she did not get the first letters of this particular disease around the wrong way!

The CHAIRMAN: No spoonerisms around here!

Subject: Division 11: Agriculture, $120 243 00 - [Legislative Assembly - Estimates Committee]

Date: 19 May 2004

Hansard reference: pp. 288b - 303a [online (pdf)]

Tags: wa, state government, perth, parliament

He's losing it

MR E.S. RIPPER: [...] I want to go back to a point I was making before the opposition distracted me with an interjection.

Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: Did I distract you, Treasurer?

Mr E.S. RIPPER: The member for Carine is capable of that, but not on this occasion. The point that I was trying to make before -

Mr P.D. Omodei: You’re blushing!

Mr E.S. RIPPER: Not at all. The point that I was making before the opposition distracted me was -

Dr K.D. Hames: Get Ljiljanna in.

Mr E.S. RIPPER: That would not be a good idea!

Subject: Tax Relief [Legislative Assembly - Motion]

Date: 12 April 2006

Hansard reference: pp. 1619b - 1641a [online (pdf)]

Tags: wa, state government, perth, parliament

King of the impossible

MR McGOWAN (Rockingham) [3.35 pm]: [...] I was intrigued by the comments of the member for Geraldton, who seemed to think that, on the one hand, people who did not pay their fines should go to jail, while, on the one hand, people who were speeding and were caught by Multanovas should be allowed to get off.

Mr Bloffwitch: I had a photograph in which no detective could ever recognise me, and I paid the fine. Get that clear.

Mr McGOWAN: I find it difficult to believe that no-one could recognise the member for Geraldton in a photograph, because he is a very distinctive looking fellow. I would recognise him anywhere.

Mr Omodei: Not if the flash went off the top of his head. It would have blinded the camera!

Subject: Acts Amendment (Fines Enforcement) Bill 1999 [Legislative Assembly - Second Reading]

Date: 11 May 2000

Hansard reference: pp. 6921 [online (pdf)]

Tags: wa, state government, perth, parliament

Cereal offenders

Mr B.K. MASTERS: [...] Half-yearly reports are sometimes difficult to understand by people who do not have expertise in accounting matters. Again, unless opposition members like me are on the mailing list of entities such as LandCorp and Western Power, they do not get annual reports sent to them automatically; they must visit a web site or make a phone call to have reports delivered to them.

Ms A.J. MacTiernan: You are supposed to do some work in opposition.

Mr B.K. MASTERS: I appreciate that.

Ms A.J. MacTiernan: You are not spoon-fed like you were in government.

Mr B.K. MASTERS: It is a different type of spoon-feeding; it is a different type of work in government.

Mr P.D. Omodei: You are on Farex and we are on Weetbix!

Mr B.K. MASTERS: I would never accuse the minister of ever being spoon-fed.

Ms A.J. MacTiernan: I tell you what, mate, I do a lot more work than you guys did when you were in office.

Mr P.D. Omodei: I think you are actually on All-Bran.

Ms A.J. MacTiernan: I don’t need that when you are in the House!

Mr B.K. MASTERS: If I had heard the comment, I would probably say it was very droll, but I missed it.

Subject: Western Australian Land Authority Amendment Bill 2003 [Legislative Assembly - Second Reading]

Date: 17 June 2003

Hansard reference: pp. 8823b - 8828a [online (pdf)]

Tags: wa, state government, perth, parliament

Before Greenough, there was...

MR OMODEI (Warren-Blackwood) [12.53 pm]: It is grand final time again in the lower south west and I have penned the following prose, with apologies to Banjo. It goes like this -


It was somewhere down the country in the land of tall, tall trees,
They formed an institution called “The Lower South West Football League.”
The stock are hard and tough and wiry, the types that never say die,
From stockmen, cauli growers, tree pluckers, spud growers, timbermen, with an odd Greenie thrown in just to have a try.
It is the mill town boys again, Southerners from Pembi, Northcliffe and Quinninup and Deanmill,
From Manji, the Mill and Dingup who will fight this battle royal till they die.
Then there will be the umpires, their eyes dull, their heads flat, with absolutely no brains at all, all trying to ruin the game.
The boys from the tall timber country will make the AFL look tame.
It will be hard and rough and bloody as the struggle ebbs and flows,
The result of the battle still no-one knows.
And all the cracks will gather for the fray,
The oldies from Pembi, there will be Cooda, Foxy, Dan, Luz, Stoich, Ginge and Johnno and maybe Flick and Johnny T. too.
From the Mill there will be Harv, Boomer, Massey, Spiro, Peo, and maybe Cooky and Tutty too, hoping to see the game through.
But when all the dust has settled and the siren sound long gone,
It will be Giaco, Gibbo and the East and Moloney boys fighting for the glory,
Or Della, Gilly, Cozzi, the Ditas and all the Ohs who will be victorious.
And when all the dust has settled and all the supporters gone home,
The Deanmill and the Southerners boys will crack a can or two and reflect upon the game.


I wish brothers Danny and Peter Lunardi all the best for the game on Sunday. I think it will be a great event.

Subject: Lower South West Football Grand Final [Legislative Assembly - Statement]

Date: 20 September 2001

Hansard reference: p. 4126 [online (pdf)]

Tags: wa, state government, perth, parliament, omodei, prose, football