With so many important social issues about at the moment, it's comforting to know that our politicians are engaging in constructive debates during Parliament sessions:
This from Meredith Burgmann, president of the Legislative Council of NSW:
"On 6 April 2005 I was asked to rule whether the term "boofhead" should be ruled out of order. I am generally in favour of the tradition of robust debate in this Chamber and believe that members of the House should not be too precious about their public lives. Having examined a precedent and considered the issue deeply, I find that the term "boofhead" has been used in past debates in this Chamber. Having regard to the rulings of previous Presidents, I rule that the term "boofhead" may be considered unparliamentary only if the member so addressed finds the term offensive.
I am informed that the Hon. Ian Macdonald does not regard the term as offensive. Accordingly, I rule that the term "boofhead" is not unparliamentary. However, I warn members that I have discovered that the following terms are unparliamentary and, therefore, out of order: scabs and rats, treacherous turncoat, thug boy, nong, and duplicitous Labor lap dog, which I rule to be out of order."
(thanks to Andrew at IA. You can now get his book on Amazon)
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