Shane Ross (Independent)

I wish to refer to a point raised by Senator Ryan, which is a completely different issue. The issue of self-regulation is a serious and relevant one. I was a stockbroker for some years. Stockbrokers were one of the early victims of self-regulation and no group deserved it more. The self-regulation of the Stock Exchange was a farce and it was run, as Senator Ryan rightly said, for the benefit of stockbrokers and not for the customers. Auctioneers are an example of that and it has been decided that they should lose the right to self-regulation.