Page 1536 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 27 September 1989
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
details of the Residents Rally's policies, I wonder whether it is appropriate to the nature of the debate. We are talking about fluoride, but he has not given us one indication as to what the Residents Rally's policy is on fluoride. If he is going to use our policies, I would suggest he should use that as well.
MR WHALAN: Mr Deputy Speaker, he has just used up 30 seconds of my speaking time with his nonsense. You should have stopped him. That was not a point of order. He did not refer to the point of order. He is embarrassed by the fact that his party, which has pledged itself - allegedly pledged itself - to community consultation, is denying the people of Canberra the opportunity to make their contribution to this decision making process. They support this draconian legislation, carrying fines of tens of thousands of dollars in relation to certain actions. This is the sort of hypocrisy that we have come to expect in this chamber from the Residents Rally party. We know that it is consistent with the line taken by Katharine West, who is the Residents Rally candidate for the seat of Canberra. We know that fluoride is one of her important policy areas. It is consistent with the - - -
MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you, Deputy Chief Minister. Your time is up.
MS FOLLETT (Chief Minister) (3.08): Mr Deputy Speaker, indeed, I had not planned to - - -
Mr Prowse: Has the Chief Minister not already spoken?
MS FOLLETT: No, I have not spoken. Mr Deputy Speaker, you are being asked a question from the floor here and the answer is, "No, I have not yet spoken in this debate".
MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: The Chief Minister has not spoken. Continue, Chief Minister.
MS FOLLETT: Thank you. I do rise to speak in this debate because, Mr Deputy Speaker, I have been most interested in the way that it has developed. It is clear to me, as it must be to people in the gallery - our media gallery in particular - that there is an enormous division of view on the question of whether fluoride should be included in our water supply or not. Even within particular parties opposite we obviously have differences of view.
Mr Prowse: Even on the other side of the house, too.
Mr Stevenson: They speak as one.
MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Continue, Chief Minister.
MS FOLLETT: Thank you. Mr Deputy Speaker, it seems to me that, while there is a difference of view, even within parties opposite, and an expressed difference of view, the responsible thing to do is to enable those differences of
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .