Unparliamentary behaviour reported in the house By Ian Munro March 14 2002 The English have long demonstrated that sex and politics do mix, if not quite in the manner demonstrated last week in the Northern Territory Parliament. The territory's honourable members, at least, were in recess late on Friday when a government staffer and his girlfriend are believed to have had sex in the parliamentary chamber. Initially their coupling occurred in the Speaker's chair, but they also pushed aside the Despatch Box to make room on the chamber's central table according to claims made in Darwin yesterday. The Clerk of the NT Parliament, Ian McNeill, yesterday examined security video footage and security access records to determine who had access to the chamber about 10.30pm on Friday in order to prepare a report to the Speaker Loraine Braham. Ms Braham said that after confirming a former ministerial staff member had made an unauthorised entry to the chamber, she was considering asking the Director of Public Prosecutions if there was a case to answer "I am investigating my powers as Speaker under the Powers and Privileges Act to prohibit the offenders from entering the parliamentary precinct again," she said. The Opposition Whip first raised concerns about the claims that were aired on Darwin radio yesterday morning, Mr McNeill said. It appeared the couple gained access to the chamber through an area occupied by the opposition. "(This) is one of those days you reckon you should have played golf," he said. He said security cameras outside the chamber, and coded access cards would register who was in the surrounds of the chamber late on Friday. "We have a few members to talk to," Mr McNeill said.FROM http://theage.com.au/articles/2002/03/13/1015909868787.html On TV this morning was leaders press secretary,said he "wanted to go out with a bang."
