Page 1981 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 24 October 1989
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future, although that Bill has been on the agenda since 28 September and was foreshadowed in the budget initial statement some months ago. It has been available for discussion and comment for quite some time, but we hear today that there are members in this Assembly who have only just realised what it all means and have not quite worked out how to vote.
Mr Speaker, I put it to you that there are those 11 pieces of legislation before the Assembly now. We have made no progress whatsoever on them today. At the rate we are going I have grave doubts about how we are going to be able to move through the business at all. As I said the other day, I have foreshadowed quite some number of other pieces of legislation that the Government regards as having significant priority that we wish to see introduced into this Assembly this year.
But, Mr Speaker, the members opposite, despite the Government's best endeavours to keep them consulted, to keep them briefed, to keep them informed, consistently fail to show any sign of wishing to deal with these matters. That really does concern me. It is a most obstructive attitude, one that I find not very admirable at all in people who have been elected to this Assembly to represent the people of the ACT - not just the 13,000 people who may have voted for them, as Mr Collaery often says, but to work for the best interests of everybody in the ACT. Failure to deal with any of this legislation really is most reprehensible. I would urge all members to get on and deal with the business that is before the house, which you have had before you for a month in every case at least, and to take seriously the remarks that I made last week about other legislation that the Government intends to introduce.
I know they were not listening at the time, Mr Speaker, but I would urge them to take that seriously. It was said because that is the Government's intention; we were not just having a little joke with them; we do intend to introduce legislation on those matters. I believe it is up to everybody in this Assembly to get on with the business. As Mrs Grassby has indicated in her remarks, there really is a limit to which the Government can go on spoon-feeding members opposite. Sooner or later you have to do some reading of your own, do some research of your own, and make up your own minds on matters.
Amendment agreed to.
Motion, as amended, agreed to.
Sitting suspended from 5.10 to 8.00 pm
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