Page 595 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 21 March 1990
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MR BERRY (10.38): I must say that I have never heard such a lot of claptrap in my life as what - - -
Mr Kaine: Because you are not interested in democracy, you are only interested in jackboots. Jackboots, that is what you are on about.
MR BERRY: You would know more about that on your side of the house - I can see Mr Stefaniak smiling there because he was the chief author of jackboot tactics earlier in this Assembly. The clear position is that the continuance of debate on this issue in the Assembly today does not suit the Government. It is not an issue about whether it is private members' business or not, and I am sure that if there was private members' business from this side of the house on which it suited the Government to go ahead, contrary to the wishes of the private member, then the Government would of course satisfy its own tactics and its own tacticians, if you like.
The clear issue is that there is a piece of legislation which is due to be debated in this place. Surely the Government, in all its wisdom, with all of its Executive Deputies, could have decided whether it supports the Bill or not. Surely Government members have taken the time to read the report on the Bill and surely they are in a position to decide today about their in principle agreement or otherwise to this piece of legislation.
Mr Speaker, I think the Government is playing games. It is involved in tactics and merely wishes to shuffle pieces of legislation in and out of the business paper to make it look as though it is doing its job. Quite clearly it is not. It is not able to bring decent levels of business to this Assembly, and it is prepared to play with this Assembly and the people who willingly participate in the debate in this place in order to satisfy its own need to fool the public into believing that the Liberal/Rally coalition Government is actually doing something.
MR JENSEN (10.42): Mr Speaker, I would suggest that Mr Berry has once again gone off the track in relation to the Government's attitude to this particular matter. The Government was quite prepared to debate this Bill today, no problems at all. However, Mr Stevenson came to the Government with a request that the Bill be deferred.
On that basis the Government, as it is wont to do with private members' business - and that is what this is, private members' business, it is not the Government's business - has sought to have that business ordered in accordance with the wishes of the private member. That is the procedure that has been adopted by this Government and will continue to be adopted.
Mrs Grassby: When it suits it.
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