Page 2489 - Week 07 - Monday, 15 August 2022
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What is clear here is that this is a coalition that has deep divisions, and they are unable to agree. They are unable to come to this parliament with a unified view on their own budget, and they add insult to injury by demonstrating their complete disrespect and disregard for our Westminster principles of government. That should be to their shame. I commend Ms Lee’s motion to the Assembly.
MS LEE (Kurrajong—Leader of the Opposition) (9.53), in reply: This is extremely disappointing but not surprising.
Members interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Members, please!
MS LEE: Do you disagree with that, Chief Minister?
Mr Barr: It was my speech!
MS LEE: It is disappointing but unsurprising because, of course, we see that Mr Rattenbury and the Greens have once again demonstrated that they are all talk when it comes to holding integrity in this government.
Mr Rattenbury went at length in his speech to say that I do not understand the parliamentary and governing agreement. Can I just take him back; the agreement requires Labor and Greens MLAs to:
Guarantee support for the passage of Appropriation Bills for the ordinary annual services of Government.
And to:
Agree to work together as a Cabinet and Government.
What part of that does Mr Rattenbury disagree with? What part of that direct quote from the parliamentary and governing agreement does he take umbrage with? That is the key question here, because the fact is that he and the Greens are in direct breach of those words in their very own parliamentary and governing agreement.
Many of the members from Labor and the Greens went at length to say, “Yes, of course we support the Chief Minister”. As we all know, saying so does not make it so. We know because actions always speak louder than words. Actions speak louder than words! I do not know where to go with Mr Gentleman’s dribble. He is such an irrelevant minister that anything he puts into this place in debate is the exact same line. We can almost quote him word by word. If the best he has got is a comparison of me to some middle-aged white men from the conservative side of politics, then go for it!
Mr Davis and his work of fiction—I do not even know if he was actually supporting us or supporting Labor and the Greens. Thirteen members, sure—of course that is what we aim for. Of course any party that wants to govern aims for 13. The fact that he said that is just laughable. Every party who wants to govern in the ACT is always
going to aim for 13 seats. Do you think that Mr Barr went to the 2020 election saying, “You know what, I’m just going to be happy with my 10”?
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