Page 33 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 13 February 1990
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
stability and what sort of responsibility can the community expect from a ship of state, such as we have here, on which everybody wants to be the captain and most of them think they are the first officer?
Mr Kaine and his Government stand condemned for the disaster of Executive Deputies, for the confusion, for the lack of leadership and for the total contempt in which they appear to hold the ACT community and indeed this Assembly.
MR KAINE (Chief Minister) (4.03): In this, as in many other matters, the Opposition is making much ado about nothing, and I must say that Ms Follett has engaged in a 15-minute flight of fancy to which there was absolutely no substance at all. She must come here and reproduce her worst nightmares that have developed in the dark of night when she has nothing else to think about.
There are 10 members of the three political groups forming this Alliance Government. Mr Speaker, you were elected to your office before this Government took office, and because of your office you must remain aloof from the day-to-day business of government. Apart from you, Mr Speaker, all members of the government parties are directly involved in the business of government. This is as far as we were able to go in achieving a fully cooperative form of government. We would like to have gone further, but sadly the Labor Party and its fellow traveller and Mr Stevenson could not agree to participate.
Mr Moore: I was never invited.
MR KAINE: I offered you a ministry, and you refused it.
Mr Moore: I was never invited. That's a lie, Trevor.
Mr Wood: But that's the crunch, because you have got half of one system and half of another. That is the problem you have got.
MR SPEAKER: Order, Mr Wood!
MR KAINE: Are we carrying on a debate, or am I having an opportunity to make my 15-minute speech?
Mr Moore: Not if you're going to lie.
MR KAINE: That is not a lie, and I will get you later.
Mr Moore: I was never invited. When was I invited?
MR KAINE: I have no time for fellow travellers. Let us be clear, Mr Speaker, there are only four Ministers in this Government; there are only four members of the Executive, and that is as permitted by the ACT (Self-Government) Act. The Executive Deputies have a role to play. They assist those Ministers; they help spread the workload in matters other than executive responsibility, and they provide an
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .