Page 2137 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 6 June 1990
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Mr Connolly: I raise a point of order related to the point of order raised by Mr Collaery. I welcome your decision that you will take it under advisement. Could I just suggest, Mr Speaker, that your decision on this will be of fundamental importance to private members - - -
MR SPEAKER: Order! Mr Connolly, to make a speech like this you must seek leave of the Assembly. A point of order is a point of order per se. If you wish to seek leave to make a statement you are free to do so, but otherwise it is just a straight point of order from the book. What we have requested members to do is to identify the standing order and use some words only from that standing order as printed.
Mr Connolly: I was seeking to identify the standing order and make a suggestion as to the procedure to be followed. I will seek leave at a later stage to make a statement.
MS FOLLETT: Mr Speaker, this Bill represents more than just the question of whether the Royal Canberra Hospital survives or not. In a very real sense, it encapsulates everything that is wrong with this Assembly and the dishonest approach that has been taken by the members of the Government.
I said earlier that the Ainslie Transfer Station Bill gave the Residents Rally members one last chance to stand up for their principles. This Bill also gives them a chance to show the people of Canberra whether they stand by the promises they made at the election and whether their pious statements made in this Assembly last year on this same subject meant anything at all. In short, the Residents Rally members have a chance to show that they are not hypocrites and that they have not been deceived by the panic and the terror tactics which the Liberals have used on the ACT budget.
This Bill is yet another demonstration of the fact that the Labor Party sticks by the promises it made to the Canberra community at the election last year. We stuck to our promises about retaining the neighbourhood school system and holding down rates when we brought down our budget last year. We announced a plan for the refurbishment and continuation of the Royal Canberra Hospital. All of this was affordable and it was included in a budget strategy which began the task of adjustment to State-type funding for the ACT. But, one by one, on these very same issues the Residents Rally policies and promises have fallen as they have proved themselves to be mere lap-dogs of the Liberal attack on the public sector.
There are many reasons why the Royal Canberra Hospital should be retained, just as there are many reasons why the hospital can be afforded by our community. Many members of the public have observed that the unique location of Royal Canberra Hospital contributes to its value as a health
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .