Page 1207 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 24 April 1990
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MR JENSEN (4.21): Now that Mrs Grassby has settled down I might be able to say a couple of words on the subject. It is unfortunate that the good intentions of Mr Wood in bringing this debate forward in Heritage Week have degenerated into a name-calling exercise.
Mrs Grassby: You were doing it.
MR JENSEN: I will do my best not to do much name-calling in relation to this particular subject. I may have to do a little bit because it is - - -
Mrs Grassby: You had better tell Mr Duby not to do it either.
MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!
MR JENSEN: However, let me start. There were a few cheap shots by Ms Follett and Mrs Grassby today, which was unfortunate because, quite frankly - - -
Mrs Grassby: We are not cheap; we are very expensive. Remember that, Mr Jensen; there is nothing cheap about me, nor is there about the Leader of the Opposition. She is a very fine lady.
MR JENSEN: Out of the mouths of babes - empty vessels. Mr Deputy Speaker, let me start my remarks by referring to the principles Mr Wood used in his remarks this afternoon. There was little that I heard that I or my colleagues would disagree with. In fact, it provided some of the principles on which we in the Rally decided to participate in self-government and run for election to this Assembly.
I take the point by Mr Wood that there is no specific mention in the Alliance Government's policy of the future form of Civic. That is true. However, while I was carefully listening to Mr Wood, I riffled through the policies of the Labor Party that were provided for the people of Canberra during the election last year. It was their planning policy. They do not have a heritage policy or, if they do, it is not included in the list that I have - but we will come to that later. In fact, there was no specific policy on heritage.
It is interesting that we have people sitting across there pontificating about our heritage policy. At least we have one. They did not even bother to include one in theirs. That is how important it was to them. It took a person with the sensitivity of Mr Wood, who unfortunately did not have control of that area in the development and the lead-up to the election, to have that included. It is unfortunate that Mr Wood did not have that role in the Labor Party at the time. It is all very well for the Leader of the Opposition to take cheap shots at the Alliance Government for failing to include any specific reference to Aboriginal heritage in our policy. The Leader
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