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Chief Minister Andrew Barr clashed angrily with Liberal leader Jeremy Hanson at estimates hearings on Tuesday, calling him a coward after Mr Hanson asked him what he was doing about the "smell" that hung over his government. Mr Hanson recounted a list of recent controversies. He referred to the memorandum of understanding between the government and unions "not smelling right". He referred also to "allegations from a former chief minister of corruption and rorts within the Labor Party, a minister from the government who was stood down, a chief of staff was sacked after sensitive police information was leaked to the CFMEU, my understanding is that the police are investigating allegations ... following a lease variation waiver that was signed by you and involving Mr Lamont, and my understanding is that other land deals in the LDA are being looked at by the auditor general". "That is all linked to a perception of a smell around this 15-year-old government," Mr Hanson said. "What are you doing to address those perceptions?" Mr Barr hit back that Mr Hanson's attack said more about a "tired old opposition leader", to which Mr Hanson interjected that various allegations had also been made by The Canberra Times. In response, Mr Barr turned his attack on the media, describing this newspaper as "a tired old journalism outfit ... a decaying forum in terms of readership and interest". Mr Hanson persisted despite attempts by Labor backbencher and estimates committee member Joy Burch to stop the line of questioning, telling Mr Barr that attacking the print media "doesn't seem to be, to my mind, a sound way of meeting the perception of smell around your government". Mr Barr became increasingly riled. "You are already being sued, Mr Hanson. That you come in here under parliamentary privilege like a coward and make allegations like that demonstrates your appalling lack of character," he said. He was referring to the defamation action being taken by Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union ACT secretary Dean Hall against Mr Hanson. Mr Hall's action is over a comment on radio in which Mr Hanson said, according to court documents: "Do we want people like Dean Hall, who runs the CFMEU, or others who potentially are facing charges or have been convicted of charges, ah, given access to, ah, company documents". Mr Barr said the Liberals' ongoing attacks on the government's memorandum of understanding with unions showed a "bizarre ideological obsession and hatred for working people", and he said some of the Liberals appeared to be in politics "to destroy organised labour". Accusing Mr Hanson of muckraking, he attacked him for not asking questions more closely related to the budget, to which Mr Hanson responded that his questions were about ethical conduct. Ms Burch sought to halt the attack on Mr Barr, but then surprised the committee into silence when she made a pointed observation of her own as Mr Barr was refusing to answer more questions on the inquiry into her office over alleged leaks of information – an inquiry that led to no police action with no criminal activity found. Mr Barr said he had made a statement to the Assembly and would say no more. "Just for the record," Ms Burch told the hearing. "I still am not aware of any claim or any question in regard to that inquiry." Ms Burch has previously criticised the police handling of the affair, describing it as curious that police were not investigating the leak of a phone conversation between her former chief of staff and CFMEU boss Dean Hall in April last year – a leak widely assumed to be be linked to the royal commission into trade unions.

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