Medicinal Cannabis

Hansard ID: HANSARD-1323879322-168805

Hansard session: Fifty-Eighth Parliament, First Session (58-1)

Medicinal Cannabis

Mr MARK COURE (Oatley) (11:47:52):

My question is directed to the Minister for Roads, and Minister for Regional Transport. Yesterday, when asked about the very serious errors the Hon. Rod Roberts, MLC, pointed out with Labor's Road Transport Legislation Amendment (Medical Cannabis and Driving Offences) Bill 2026, the Minister very clearly rejected those concerns.

Ms Donna Davis:

What's your question, Oatley?

The SPEAKER:

I call the member for Parramatta to order for the first time. All members will come to order. The member for Oatley will be allowed to ask his question without interruption.

Mr MARK COURE:

My question is why have Labor's Upper House colleagues just lodged an amendment to fix this same error with Labor's three-strikes drug driving bill?

Ms JENNY AITCHISON (MaitlandMinister for Roads, and Minister for Regional Transport) (11:48:56):

— The member for Oatley still has the same problem: He cannot actually read the title of the bill.

Mr Mark Coure:

No, I read the title.

Ms JENNY AITCHISON:

You had your turn. Be quiet. The question the member for Oatley asked yesterday was, "Will you pull the bill?", to which I responded, "No." One of the things we have tried to do with this legislation is provide compassion and certainty to patients who have been prescribed medicinal cannabis. I hope that every member understands the importance of a Minister's second reading speech. Legislation is never read by the courts in isolation of that speech. The speech is there to help with the interpretation of legislation. Our role as parliamentarians is to deal honestly, directly and carefully with the content of legislation to ensure that we understand it.

The SPEAKER:

The member for Wahroonga will come to order. I call the member for Tamworth to order for the first time.

Ms JENNY AITCHISON:

Where we have a genuine issue with the way it operates, its intention or how it could be interpreted by the courts, we raise that in briefings we have with the Government or, if that fails, during the second reading debate.

Mr Adam Crouch:

Point of order—

Ms JENNY AITCHISON:

Let us go back a bit in time. The issue I have with the member for Oatley—

The SPEAKER:

The Minister will resume her seat. I will hear the point of order from the member for Terrigal.

Mr Adam Crouch:

My point of order relates to Standing Order 129. The question is why is the Minister amending the bill?

The SPEAKER:

The Minister is being directly relevant. The Minister has the call.

Ms JENNY AITCHISON:

As I said yesterday, when we first announced this legislation, what did the member for Oatley do? Was his first thought, "We are finally going to help veterans, cancer patients, people suffering with chronic pain, severe pain and anxiety and allow them to participate in society"? Did he think we could allow them to get treatment to fix an error that should have been fixed 10 years ago by those opposite?

Mr Adam Crouch:

Point of order—

Ms JENNY AITCHISON:

Can we please stop the clock? This is getting vexatious.

Mr Adam Crouch:

Mr Speaker, I again ask you to direct the Minister to answer the question. It is taken under Standing Order 129.

The SPEAKER:

The Minister was being directly relevant but she has now strayed slightly from the question. The Minister may continue.

Ms JENNY AITCHISON:

The first option the member for Oatley took was to attack the Government. He will try to pretend this is about road safety, but the reality is that our bill is very clear. We are making an amendment to it because the Hon. Rod Roberts in the other place did better than the member for Oatley and actually read the bill. I do not think the member for Oatley has read it still.

The SPEAKER:

I call the member for Terrigal to order for the second time.

Ms JENNY AITCHISON:

The Hon. Rod Roberts identified an issue, unfortunately at the third reading stage, that needs to be clarified.

The SPEAKER:

I call the member for Oatley to order for the third time.

Ms JENNY AITCHISON:

That is the approach we are taking. Our priority is the most vulnerable people in our community—veterans and people with chronic pain, anxiety and cancer—and not the political games of the member and those in the Legislative Council.

Mr Mark Coure:

I seek further information.

Ms JENNY AITCHISON:

Fantastic. I will take it.

The SPEAKER:

Does the Minister have much longer to go with her answer?

Ms JENNY AITCHISON:

I have another two pages.

The SPEAKER:

An additional two minutes is granted.

Ms JENNY AITCHISON:

Yesterday the member for Oatley jumped up in this Chamber—someone else had told him about the third reading speech in the other place; he was not there listening to it—and asked if we were going to pull the bill.

Mr Mark Coure:

Point of order—

Ms JENNY AITCHISON:

Is he really that lazy?

The SPEAKER:

The Minister will resume her seat. I call the member for Swansea to order for the first time. I call the member for Bankstown to order for the first time. I will hear the point of order from the member for Oatley.

Mr Mark Coure:

My point of order is straightforward. It is taken under Standing Order 129. Why have the Minister's upper House colleagues just lodged an amendment to fix the same errors in her bill?

The SPEAKER:

I have already ruled on the point of order. There is no point of order. The Minister will continue.

Ms JENNY AITCHISON:

You can lead a shadow Minister to a briefing but you can't make him think!

The SPEAKER:

I remind the member for Oatley that he is on three calls to order.

Ms JENNY AITCHISON:

I will go through it one more time. His question yesterday was would we pull the bill. That is what members on the other side do. Things get a little bit too hard and they run away. What we do is ask, "What is the intent of this legislation?" It is to provide clarity, and that is what we want to do.

Mr Anthony Roberts:

Point of order: Mr Speaker, for a serious amount of time the Minister has had her back to you while answering the question. I ask that the Minister direct her answer through you.

The SPEAKER:

I thank the member for Lane Cove. I am not sure there is a standing order about my looking at the Minister's back.

Ms JENNY AITCHISON:

Hello, Mr Speaker.

The SPEAKER:

It is lovely to see you. Please proceed.

Ms JENNY AITCHISON:

In case I have not repeatedly made it clear—obviously, members opposite are still not listening—I am addressing my answer through you. I always do so with the greatest of respect. That is the problem with members on the other side of the House. They have no respect, no intelligence and no compassion.

Ms Felicity Wilson:

Point of order: During the five minutes of her answer, the Minister called members of this House "stupid", "lazy" and "unintelligent".

Mr Paul Scully:

If the shoe fits.

The SPEAKER:

That is inappropriate.

Ms Felicity Wilson:

There is no expectation that members will be treated that way in this place. I ask the Labor Government to lift its standards.

The SPEAKER:

I thank the Manager of Opposition Business. We can all reflect on the words we use in this place and on our behaviour. I listened closely to the Minister's answer. At no point did it offend against the standing orders. But, once again, I appreciate the sentiment.