Page 1344 - Week 05 - Thursday, 26 April 1990
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any particular individual as the person principally responsible for the advent of self-government in this Territory.
Mr Whalan says that Gary Whitley deserves that title. That may be. But consistently there throughout the negotiating period in the lead-up to this decision on 6 December 1988 was the advice and role of Paul Whalan himself. I must say that although I acknowledge the role of Gary Whitley, if the title of the principal protagonist or the father or whatever of self-government were to be bestowed on anybody, I think that Paul Whalan would come very close. It might not be an honour, it might be a slur in some people's lexicon, but I think it is very clear that he has the best credentials to hold that title.
The electoral system was, of course, a circuit-breaker. It was significant in obtaining self-government. It was crucial, although I have to say that Paul has not brought out the fact that there was another alternative in the electoral possibilities which was not pursued by any of the Ministers for whom he worked. That alternative was an arrangement of three electorates of, say, seven members each under the Hare-Clark system. It was not pursued, even though it would undoubtedly have broken the circuit, because it was a system opposed by the ACT branch of the Labor Party. I do not wish to be churlish, but that certainly has to be noted.
Mr Speaker, I am, in a sense, very happy to see Paul Whalan go. He has made a great deal of anguish and concern for me. He has certainly made a few more grey hairs for me. I do not know much about Terry Connolly, his successor - - -
Mrs Grassby: Do not worry, he will give you a few more.
MR HUMPHRIES: Well, he may do, Mrs Grassby, but he will need to be a very talented man to fill the shoes of Paul Whalan. Mr Whalan has been a worthy opponent over these last 10 months, or whatever it is. He will be hard to replace. It always seems to me, Mr Speaker, that the measure of one's success in life, the value one attaches to the achievements of one's life, should be in terms of the permanency of one's achievements. It is all very well to make people happy while you are alive but, if you can make them happy after you have died, you are in a much better position to claim something for posterity.
I think Mr Whalan has a very significant legacy - perhaps not exclusively his, but certainly his in large part - and that is the institution of self-government. I firmly believe that this institution is a valuable one and one which will assist and prosper the people of the ACT for many years to come. As such, his achievement will last for a very long time, long after his death, long after the death of all of us. That is a matter, I think, for which we should pay tribute to Paul Whalan at this time.
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