Page 3022 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 5 December 1989
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called alliance, I doubt whether they could achieve as much in two years.
Mr Speaker, you said that you were threatened. I visited you as the Speaker, not as a member, speaking to you about that vote on the tax that night. I told you that the Government needed money and that I would not cut my department any more or sack public servants of my department and that, if money for the Speaker had to come out of the budget and I was asked to cut my budget any more, I would vote against it in Cabinet. They were my words to you, and you cannot deny that I said them. I said I was sick of taking money from the people of this city, who had the right to have it, to give to opposition members to give them everything they wanted. That was why I said I would vote against it; I would not support it.
Let me take the example of asbestos. This Government has agreed to commence the asbestos removal program, despite the fact that costs were far in excess of the estimates which had been prepared before we came to government. Mr Duby, the leader of the No Self Government Party, has a policy of entirely opposing the removal of asbestos unless the Commonwealth picks up the full cost. Can the alliance give an undertaking to those residents of Canberra who have asbestos insulation that Mr Duby's policy will not be put into effect? If they give that undertaking, where does Mr Duby stand? What a ragtag coalition!
Mr Speaker, in only seven months this Government has established a proud record of achievement. There is no basis for this no-confidence motion. If it succeeds, I warn the alliance that I will be closely scrutinising their performance. I have no doubt they will fail to come close to this Government's record. I shall let the people of Canberra know of their failure.
I thank officers of my department who, at all times I am sure, gave me the very best advice that I could have got from them and for the fact that they had to put up with Mr Collaery making statements in this house about corruption in the ACT public service. I thank them for the work they did and for all the information they gave me when I needed it. I also want to thank my personal staff, who at all times worked many hours overtime to make sure that this Government was able to keep the promises it made to the people, Mr Speaker.
MR BERRY (Minister for Community Services and Health) (4.26): I think the first thing that needs to be addressed is that there are two very different reasons that have been assigned to this vote of no confidence in Rosemary Follett. The first one was put to the Assembly by Mr Collaery and dealt with alleged threats against you, Mr Speaker, in relation to the vote on the X-rated video tax. The second one was Mr Kaine's allegation that there were some problems with the Government's management of the Territory. So one of the difficulties I have in addressing this motion is
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