Greens anger over speaker as Labor adds fuel to stoush

Greens leader Cassy O’Connor has written to Speaker Sue Hickey complaining of being silenced during a fiery debate in Parliament on Thursday night. SEE THE VIDEO >>

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GREENS leader Cassy O’Connor has written to Speaker Sue Hickey complaining of being silenced during a firey debate in Parliament on Thursday night as Labor accused the MP of "losing control of her emotions”.

Ms O’Connor and the Speaker clashed after the Greens leader pressed home her request for an apology from Labor MP Ella Haddad over racism claims.

Ms O’Connor ended up storming from the chamber after a sharp exchange with Ms Hickey.

“We have written to the Speaker about last night’s proceedings, a spokeswoman for Ms O’Connor said.

“We understand the Speaker had no authority to silence Ms O’Connor’s contribution on human rights abuses. No standing order was cited, or specific ruling made.”

Ms Haddad addressed Parliament on Tuesday after Ms O’Connor had apologised to Parliament for mixing up two Chinese people with the same family name.

“When I responded to Ms O’Connor’s mistake, I was calling out something very different. I was calling out racism, pure and simple,” Ms Haddad said.

“A mistake, sure … a mistake made possible because of Ms O’Connor’s personal, perhaps unconscious, but very strong bias against the Chinese that may be motivated by the Chinese Government’s human rights abuses but the effect of it is very different.

“The effect of her words, whether intended or not intended, is that they vilify and they ostracise Chinese Tasmanians and other Tasmanians of Asian appearance.”

It was those comments Ms O’Connor took objection to in her comments on Thursday.

Greens leader Cassy O'Connor during question time in State Parliament. Picture: Zak Simmonds

“She has accused me of the most grotesque motives which I reject and which are an insult to Chinese Australians,” she said in part during her request for an apology.

Hickey said she was uncomfortable with Ms O’Connor’s comments.

“I don’t believe Ms Haddad had any intention of any of those things you’ve claimed and I think it’s a personal attack,” she said before Ms O’Connor left the chamber.

Labor’s David O’Byrne said Mr O’Connor was the one who was out of line.

“What we saw last night was an outrageous outburst from Cassy O’Connor, the leader of the Greens, she lost control,” he said.

“She was yelling and ranting and raving and screaming at other members of parliament.

“I think it’s important that when we conduct ourselves in public life, that we don’t resort to yelling and losing control of our emotions in a debate.

“That is completely unacceptable behaviour and it reflects very poorly on Cassy Connor and the Tasmanian Greens.”

Should Labor make a formal complaint, it will end up before the House of Assembly Privileges Committee, which is made up of Ms Hickey, Liberals MPs Jeremy Rockliff, Jacquie Petrusma and Michael Ferguson, Labor’s David O’Byrne, plus Ms Haddad and Ms O’Connor themselves.

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