Page 3165 - Week 15 - Thursday, 14 December 1989
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Mr Speaker, the alliance Government, on the admission of the Chief Minister, needs sufficient time to restructure a number of matters in government. There is not, as was suggested, a great number of fractious and unnecessary changes taking place in government service. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating. I suggest that any people interested in that proposition make the relevant inquiries because they will find that community groups, particularly in the area of welfare and community services, are ecstatic at now having line command, line control, of a number of issues in the social equity and social policy areas - a line command structure that the previous Government was not able to get.
So we have, particularly in my ministry, Mr Speaker, the law and justice aspects of welfare, community services and housing, together with the ancillary functions that go with it. It is a very exciting prospect for the people of the ACT, Mr Speaker. It is an excellent chance for this Assembly to settle down with a public service that feels positively involved in government.
Mr Speaker, I quite properly reject the notion that there is some confusion in government. Those of us who served for long periods in government know that there is always a change of emphasis, a change of policies, largely when there is a change of government. In fact, this Government is going to proceed with a number of sensible policies of the previous Government. Indeed, the former Chief Minister has made comments about antidiscrimination legislation, dangerous weapons legislation and necessary amendments to the Domestic Violence Act. I only wish that those matters had come forward earlier.
So, Mr Speaker, the prospect is that this alliance Government will go away and will work hard over this break to get a governing structure for the Territory. I do understand the sense of bitterness, perhaps, on the other side of the house of some individuals with what has transpired. But I think we can go away for a short period and come to terms with what Canberra needs at this stage in its history - a strong and forceful government. In fact, comments made that we were forceful, that we intended to go about our affairs in a forceful manner, are probably merited, because we will.
We are united on this side of the house. This is the beginning of self-government. This is the beginning of a stable chamber. You have it, and the fact is that, if you do not wish to participate, you have got two or three months to apply for a job somewhere, perhaps in one of our ministries. But the fact is that you need to sort yourselves out as well, I suggest to the opposition. You need to appoint a whip with whom we can arrange affairs with the proper expedition that the public expect of this Assembly. We also need to see that the fractious debates of old and certainly some of the personality issues do not come back into this chamber.
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