Page 761 - Week 05 - Thursday, 6 July 1989
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MR COLLAERY: Thank you, Mr Speaker. The Rally's first statement to the people of Canberra was that it believes that self-government offers the first real opportunity since Federation for there to be a new model constitution affecting Australians. The will to have a new model constitution that allows the people of this Territory to set a new standard of conduct, to set a new quality of government, is the most exciting personal prospect that I see in this chamber and that I see in my own personal interest in being in government. I have a commitment that is well outside this chamber in terms of my interest in human rights generally, nationally and internationally. It may interest this chamber to know that I have spent most of the last three nights with a person fleeing a fascist government, a person who is seeking to acquire some of the freedoms that this motion by Mr Berry would quench, and that is the freedom to stand up fearlessly without being shot in the back and say that something is not right somewhere.
The Residents Rally supports the drawing of a constitution for the ACT setting out very clearly the acceptance by the people of the ACT of certain democratic values, with the expectation that they will be protected and reinforced by the Assembly on behalf of the people. How prophetic those words are, drafted in committee some months ago during the excitement of being able to form possibly in this Territory a new government, a government of great magnitude and great promise. It is an extremely sad situation for many of us in the Rally to see that we have to be subjected to the level of tactical abuse, the level of gamesmanship that we did not come here to see.
My colleague Mr Jensen has finished 20 years in the army, much of it in military intelligence. He is able and competent and he is a loyal Australian. He does not need to be here. He has interrupted his second career path. Likewise, my colleague Mr Moore is a dedicated community activist, a dedicated teacher, and he does not need to be here either. And it goes without saying that my dear colleague Dr Kinloch, the man with so many letters after his name that the Clerk of the Assembly had to find for him a larger visiting card, this marvellous person, this elder of the Assembly, has been shouted down from time to time and ridiculed for making a wonderful statement about the aims of Lafayette and the American constitution on Constitution Day. It should not be lost sight of that there were members of this chamber who gave up the opportunity to go and celebrate that great event over at the American residence on 4 July because the work ahead of them in this chamber, such as that of bringing forward issues fearlessly, could not be interrupted.
The Rally believes that there is evidence of extensive conflict of interest situations declared or undeclared in the administration of the leasehold system, our prime revenue base in this Territory.
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