Page 3130 - Week 15 - Thursday, 14 December 1989
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degenerate again into that kind of mud-slinging which so tarnishes its reputation.
Mr Speaker, we gave the Follett Government due time - due latitude - in its early days to do the things it had to do as a new government in the Territory. We gave it ample time to get settled in; we gave it ample time to set its priorities and to do other things which any new government has to do. Now, within days of our taking office, this opposition decided it had to put on this - - -
Mr Duby: Temper tantrum.
MR HUMPHRIES: Yes, it has put on this temper tantrum. It was no longer the Government of the Territory; it had been deprived of its rightful place on the Government benches; and it was going to kick and scream for all it was worth. Moving the motion on the failure of the Liberal coalition parties to abide by the policies on which they were elected within days of our taking office was, I think, a gross discourtesy. It was a discourtesy which we did not extend to them when they were in government and I certainly hope that the kind of decorum and standards of opposition which we set, in our early days, are followed by this opposition henceforth.
MS FOLLETT (Leader of the Opposition) (10.41): Mr Speaker, I rise really to add to the comments made by my colleague Mr Whalan, who is the manager of our business in this Assembly. I believe that he has covered the majority of points but I would just like to add that, as an opposition, as members of this Assembly, we all have rights, and those rights are to participate in the full life of this Assembly.
Mr Speaker, I would ask you to contrast the current attitude of the Liberal coalition Government to the attitude of the previous Government, my own Government. In the life of that Government we consulted on a regular basis with all members of the Assembly. We made time available, out of a very busy schedule in government, on a Monday evening - every Monday evening of a sitting week - in order to discuss with all members of the Assembly what the business of the Assembly would be for the week and to give them an opportunity to put forward the business that they wished to see in the Assembly. We treated them as equals. We acknowledged their rights within this Assembly to take a full and active part in the life of the Assembly and in the debate on all of the issues.
It would never have occurred to us to suspend standing orders, as has been done today. It never would have occurred to us, Mr Speaker, to do as was done to us by the Liberal coalition Government on the committees of this Assembly. One of the most important and one of the most effective areas of the life of this Assembly has been in the committees. Last night we received an edict from on high as to how those committees would be constituted under
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