Page 1471 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 1 May 1990
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the "you beaut", wish list gaol. The budget strategy delivered by the Chief Minister is a sham and will be treated as such by the community.
DR KINLOCH (9.37): It is a great pleasure to have this chance to talk about Mr Kaine's budget strategy in relation to open government. I love to hear the honeyed voice of my young friend, Mrs Grassby; we get great enjoyment from that. One thing I have always greatly regretted over the past year is the situation in which we slang at each other across the chamber, especially when that is aimed at individuals. I wish we could cut that down. I recall with pleasure the time during National Dance Week when Mrs Grassby and I danced the light fantastic in Glebe Park. But, occasionally, we have to disagree.
For instance, on the theme of open government in relation to this budget strategy, I would like to think of open government as a situation in which there are reasonable and proper areas of disagreement. I will take some of the charges that have been made. In the Residents Rally we have open government, within our membership, within our executive and amongst our three Residents Rally members. We like to maintain both solidarity and individuality, and that we do in a range of policies. You have seen it time and time again, and we do the same thing in relation to the budget strategy.
Similarly, in the Alliance Government, the 10 of us cherish both solidarity and individuality. From the point of view of a Labor government I can see that this seems strange. We do not necessarily have the somewhat suffocating close-knitness of decisions made in single party rooms. I am amazed to hear Mr Berry talk about closed doors, saying that we are operating behind closed doors. We have lively and often fruitful and open discussion amongst the members of the Alliance Government. I want to give an example of that when we come to the budget strategy related to hospitals.
We have a broad and open government of comrades, comrades on these budget matters as on other matters. Of course, some of us have strong feelings on some individual issues, and that in a liberal government is entirely proper. That is what classic liberalism is all about, and I wish the members of the Labor Party could bring themselves to be small "l" liberals. Tomorrow I hope to come at that element of this budget strategy in another debate - because time moves on - on education.
I would now briefly like to conclude with an example of sensible and rational comradeship on this side of the house, and here I come to the question of the hospitals. Now, what are my druthers? What would I like?
Mr Moore: Oh, no!
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