Page 1499 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 2 May 1990
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
residents - this is their platform. I do not blame Mr Duby; he had no platform. Mr Duby and Ms Maher can do what they like in this house; they had no platform. It does not really matter what they do; they will not be here much longer. They had no platform on health, education, conservation or recycling. They had no platform on anything. Mr Duby said this. The proof is that he was prepared to be with the Labor Government one day and with the Alliance the next. It did not matter. I think Mr Duby would sell his soul to anybody for sixpence or if the price was good enough.
Mr Collaery: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. That is an imputation that Mr Duby would seek gain for his role in this Assembly. I believe that should be withdrawn.
MR SPEAKER: Thank you, Mr Collaery. I think that is an over-reaction.
MRS GRASSBY: I am sorry, Mr Speaker. I withdraw part of that. He would not sell his soul for sixpence; that is too cheap on a ministerial salary. I said the wrong thing. I should have said "to the devil" not "for sixpence".
Ms Follett: He is not cheap.
MRS GRASSBY: He is not cheap. Never is Mr Duby cheap. He would sell his soul for a ministerial salary - that is fair enough.
MR SPEAKER: Order! Mrs Grassby, I request that that comment be withdrawn.
MRS GRASSBY: I withdraw it, Mr Speaker. I think the voters outside know that. I do not have to say it in this house; it is already known. I repeat that I do not blame the Liberal Party. This would be their policy. Privatisation is part of their policy - sell it off, close it down. But I will continue to blame the Residents Rally, who blatantly sit there, when they came into this house on a policy of believing in the people and believing in open government. When we were in government we used to get harangued by Bernard Collaery day after day about open government and consultation with the people. You can forget that now; it is all done behind closed doors. They do not ask people what they want; no, they make a decision. The department tells Mr Duby that this is a way to save money, he makes the decision and that is it.
I will not have the bureaucrats blamed for this. The bureaucrats are there to advise Ministers, and the men and women in the Department of Urban Services are a great group of people. I was their Minister and I will support them at all times. They came to me with ideas. It was up to me to make the decision, not to blame the bureaucrats and I will not have them blamed in this house. I blame Mr Duby and the party that he is part of for this decision.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .