Page 813 - Week 03 - Thursday, 22 March 1990
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In addition to that, we should also think about safety and security - safety to walk through the streets of Canberra free from the fear of assault, robbery and harassment; safety and security for women, particularly, to be free from the fear of rape and other forms of sexual assault; safety and security in the home for women and children, to be free from violence or sexual abuse and to have somewhere safe to go to escape such situations.
The approach of this Government to these problems is detailed in our numerous and various policy statements. We have issued 17 comprehensive policy statements. If only members of the Labor Party would read them. I would like to see their policy because theirs was a tatty bunch of documents put together 17 or 18 months ago. Those documents were tatty then and have not been updated since. I would like to see Labor Party policies on these issues on which its members criticise us.
What have we done? We have the antidiscrimination Bill almost on the table; we have issued our papers on the status of women; we have issued our blueprint for the ageing; we have issued our response to the Burdekin report on homeless children; have given a commitment to the disabled.
In its seven months in office, the Labor Government never addressed any of those issues. So it hardly behoves Labor members to come here today and be critical of what this Government is doing. Our record is there. But what we do not do is govern by media release. Because they do not read about it in the local papers, because we are not trumpeting it from the roof tops, as they always did, they assume that nothing has been done. They should do their homework, look around to see what we are actually doing.
Earlier, Mrs Grassby interjected, "Get on with the job". Well, Mr Speaker, this Government is getting on with the job. This hour of debate that we have just engaged in has contributed nothing but that, of course, is a typical Labor initiative on an issue like this. It is typical Labor initiative to talk about it and do nothing.
MR SPEAKER: Order! Time for this discussion has now expired.
ADJOURNMENT
Motion (by Mr Collaery) proposed:
That the Assembly do now adjourn.
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