Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
Lucy Bladen

'I'm pretty sick of it': Hanson says govt no longer cares about democracy

Acting Opposition Leader Jeremy Hanson was kicked out of the Legislative Assembly. Picture by Elesa Kurtz

The ACT's acting Opposition Leader has accused the government of not behaving democratically as he was kicked out of the Assembly on Thursday afternoon for several interjections during question time.

Jeremy Hanson said he was sick of the government overriding democratic principles and so was the rest of Canberra during an angry outburst when he was removed from the parliament.

The opposition used question time to grill Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith on the forced acquisition of Calvary Public Hospital Bruce.

Mr Hanson asked the Health Minister whether she would negotiate in good faith with Calvary over the future of Clare Holland House and not "plot in secret as you just did with Calvary public hospital".

The acting Opposition Leader interjected when Ms Stephen-Smith was answering the question and this prompted the manager of government business, Mick Gentleman, to ask Speaker Joy Burch to remove Mr Hanson.

Ms Burch initially said she would let the answer continue but said Mr Hanson had previously been warned. However, following another interjection, the Speaker requested he be removed from the Assembly.

Mr Hanson objected to his removal and there was a division which asked members to vote on whether he should be removed. Mr Hanson left before the vote but as he was leaving he took aim at the Speaker and the government.

"You no longer care about democracy in this place," he said.

"You override democratic principles in this place again and again and again. I'm pretty sick of it and so is the rest of Canberra.

"You're not behaving like a democratic government."

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.