Page 663 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 5 July 1989
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It is my contention that we really need to act as an assembly on this matter to debate the issues, which has not so far taken place, and to allow the Assembly to have a say on the substantive issues, not to shunt them off to some select committee, the nature of which I have not been consulted on. I find it very ironical as well that the Government is the only part of this Assembly that ever consults on anything. I find it, Mr Speaker, really an insult to this Assembly and an insult to the Canberra public that the proponents of this Bill are not prepared to debate it but rather to suspend standing orders and shunt it off to some anonymous committee.
MR SPEAKER: I take Mr Kaine's point, that we are at this stage debating the suspension of standing orders. Once it is agreed to, if it is agreed to, we will then move to the motion that Mr Collaery wishes to move, and at that stage we can debate the issue at hand.
MR KAINE (Leader of the Opposition) (10.37): I think that what we just heard from the Chief Minister, Mr Speaker, is just another brick in the opposition to establishing reasonable protection for members of the public who wish to use public places in this city. What we are attempting to do here is to satisfy demands that have been made, not by members of this Assembly but by people hammering on the door out there, which were drummed up by the Labor Party.
Mr Berry: I rise on a point of order. I think the issue, as Mr Kaine quite rightly raised a moment ago, is whether the standing orders should be suspended.
MR KAINE: I am arguing, Mr Speaker, for the suspension of standing orders and, if Mr Berry will give me my five minutes, I will explain why. It is very easy for him to jump to his feet before I have even virtually opened my mouth on the subject.
MR SPEAKER: Please proceed, Mr Kaine.
Mr Whalan: You want to stop the crime before it happens.
MR KAINE: That, Mr Speaker, is exactly what we are trying to do with this Bill. It is exactly what we are trying to do - stop the crime before it happens. We have had all of this under-the-table criticism and complaint. The Chief Minister says she did not see the Bill before it was tabled. I have at least five Bills on my table here which we did not see until they were tabled either. That is the procedure in this house, that the Government brings down the Bills, puts them on the table, and we do not even know about them until they are there. Now the Chief Minister objects because we do it with what she acknowledges is a very simple Bill.
The only reason why we are seeking to refer this to a select committee, Mr Speaker, is to satisfy the Government, which claims there has not been enough consultation. The
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