Page 3002 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 5 December 1989
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Let me confess I have a car, which I did not reject. I wish I did not have it. I did not ask for it, but I did not say no to it, did I? I have it. We all have cars, worth $100,000 or something. I have got a coffee percolator in my room up there. I did not ask for it. It turned up. It came. I have other equipment. I have a television in my room, which I do use to watch the news at night.
We, the members of the Assembly, are not starved of things that come from the Speaker. We have been very generously dealt with, might I say. Now, let me show you this. Mr Collaery, will you look at this? Lift your face and look at it. That is a beeper. It was delivered to my office on Friday. I did not ask for it. I did not know it was coming. An attendant walked in and asked me to sign for it.
Mr Collaery: We sent it to you.
MR WOOD: Well, I did not ask for it. I do not know what that particular one costs, and I do not know what 12 of them cost, the number I presume we have. And this is from the Speaker whom we are starving! That went into my drawer. I have only just opened the plastic on it now. So I do not think there is any justification, Mr Collaery, in your claim that we have been standing over the Speaker and threatening the Speaker. On the contrary, the Speaker has been dealt with more than generously by this Government.
He mentioned other matters like parking meters and increasing vehicle registration in lieu of something. That is such a major issue in his mind that we have never heard it before! I was pleased to hear Rosemary Follett detail the record of her Government, and my ministerial colleagues will do likewise.
I want to focus on some of the people over the road who now claim government. As we have heard, it is not a matter of issues. Issues are not involved in this. Certainly Mr Collaery has not shown it. Mr Kaine has not wanted to jump to his feet yet, nor Mr Humphries, nor anybody else.
Mr Kaine: You will hear from me. Just have patience.
MR WOOD: Well, you are very slow about it. Has your speech not come down to you yet?
So it is not a matter of issues, clearly. Is it then a matter of policies? I have been through the Hansard over this weekend, while you have been trying to dream up some ideas, and Hansard records no major policy speech by the Rally or by the Liberals on any matter; lots of minor things, and some lesser policies - second-rate, second stage stuff from you people. In fact, as I went through the Hansard the most significant - if "significant" is the word - alternative speech that was made in this house was one proposing an alternative to the budget, ironically,
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