Page 3043 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 5 December 1989
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One of the principal matters raised in the debate and in the response, firstly, of the Chief Minister was her early reference to caring about Canberra. Well, I think we all would not be here unless we did that. She then referred to the fact that her Government was still at its fledgling stage. Truly, this is a long-term Australian Labor Party, a party whose roots go back well before Federation; it is a party in the ACT that is close to the Federal party's advising capacity; it is close to all that good advice; and I am surprised that the Chief Minister could still refer to her Government as fledgling, or words to that effect, when she is so close to what would presumably be the very experienced and professional advice available from her Federal colleagues nearby.
The matter of the legislative program was not referred to but the Chief Minister did say that she had a stated and certain agenda for the ACT. Well, it is here; it is in the election booklet, Policies for a Fairer Canberra. We have not the time this evening to catalogue the pluses and minuses there, but we acknowledge that the Chief Minister has implemented some of her enunciated aims. This is a fact. But, surely, what we are dealing with here is the capacity to bring on a stable situation in this Assembly, a capacity to reflect the standards that we should be imposing on ourselves. I will come to that in a moment, Mr Wood. The fact is that we all look to a socially just community that is open and accountable.
It is on those scores that the Government lost our confidence. But it lost our confidence on a last straw, not a rush to the head, Mr Wood, after I read the Canberra Times. As I outlined in my speech - and my colleagues Dr Kinloch and Mr Jensen can attest to these facts, if you like - the fact is that the television news broadcast in the evening was the last straw, not what happened in the morning.
Mr Speaker, the Minister rather ambiguously said that politicians should keep Canberra the place it is, and planning was directed towards that effect. Well, is that to keep us in the mire that the Federal Government left us in, or not? There was an ambiguity there in the Chief Minister's speech. No doubt we can elucidate that here in the house in future days.
There are a number of issues that I think all members in the house feel somewhat cynical about; the comprehensive heritage register, for instance. Well, we know that the momentum for that antedates government as did, of course, Mr Berry's response to the opening of Burrangiri house. That was built under a previous government and opened under his. Mrs Grassby referred to the comprehensive strategies, particularly on the environment, the advantage of which she had from our policies - our 17-page policies developed at the Environment Centre. I suggest that Minister Grassby did continue the momentum and initiatives brought forward by a number of the very competent and responsive staff that she is blessed with at the moment.
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