Page 2268 - Week 08 - Thursday, 7 June 1990
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matter of public importance that Mr Stevenson has ever put forward. Obviously this is the first matter of no confidence. His interest in matters that go on in this Assembly is rather limited and he seems to regard the Assembly as a place for free board and rent. If he does get free board and rent, he is not really earning them at the present time. I think it is extremely unfortunate that Mr Stevenson, who has now returned to the chamber to take part in this debate at last - - -
Mr Stevenson: I was talking to the media.
MR HUMPHRIES: I am sure Mr Stevenson was talking to the media, because they are about the only people that would be prepared to listen to him at this point in time. Quite frankly, Mr Stevenson lacks any credibility in this place and I think he deserves the condemnation of the Assembly.
What Mr Stevenson is doing is siding with the supporters of X-rated videos in this Territory - and I refer to members of the Labor Party to whom he has offered succour and support on this occasion and Mr Moore, of course - to attack those people who in the future may well form a majority in this chamber to ban X-rated videos. This is what Mr Stevenson is doing. He is using his opponents, his enemies, to attack those who on this occasion happen to be his friends, those people who also oppose the distribution of X-rated videos from the ACT. Mr Stevenson does not appear to be smart enough to realise that this is what is actually happening. He does not appear to realise that, in fact, he is making the future banning of X-rated videos in this Territory a little bit more difficult because of the course of action he is adopting today. I really do not expect any more.
He spoke about honesty and integrity. If I were in Mr Stevenson's position, I would not be getting up and touting my honesty or my integrity, given the way that he has handled a whole range of issues since he first came to this place. At least the Liberal Party had a position on X-rated videos before it came into this Assembly; Mr Stevenson had not.
I also completely reject the claim made by Mr Stevenson time and again that he speaks on behalf of the people of this Territory. It is a tactic which I have often seen on his part and it is one which is often pursued by those who claim to have certain populist aspirations of identifying and speaking for the will of the people. It is a spurious claim and I reject it. Mr Stevenson speaks for no more than the 8 per cent or whatever it was that voted for him in the last election, and I doubt quite frankly whether in large part he even speaks for those people any more.
I think Mr Stevenson ought to reconsider his whole motion today. He knows full well that the ALP will be using this motion, not to talk about X-rated videos but to talk about a whole range of other things which are totally irrelevant
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