Page 2289 - Week 08 - Thursday, 7 June 1990
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X-rated video debate is not doing them any service. At least with that legislation which we passed on Tuesday night we have regulated and restricted the areas where X-rated videos can be supplied. With Mr Stevenson's proposal, even that would not be done. So I think he is being a little hypocritical. I do not really want to talk any more on that; I said all I needed to say on that matter on Tuesday night.
However, I do wish to speak to other points of this motion - indeed, Mr Moore's amendment. Mr Connolly is right in one thing he said: videos are not the issue. Clearly they are not. I think that Mr Moore's motion is probably a little more relevant in that he talks about the performance of this Government. In my opinion, this Government is performing very well in very difficult times.
When we talk about motions dealing with lack of integrity, lack of credibility, and extreme hypocrisy, we should not really be using those terms in relation to this house. I think that lack of integrity, lack of credibility, and extreme hypocrisy have been demonstrated by the Federal Labor Government in its attitude to the Australian Capital Territory. Let there be no doubt about the fact - again, I think it is a shame Mr Stevenson, as the proponent of abolishing self-government, is not here - that the Federal Labor Government gave this Territory self-government with a view to ensuring that, so it said initially - - - (Quorum formed)
As I was saying before my colleague raised the fact that a quorum was lacking, which is not the case now, if we talk about lack of integrity, lack of credibility, and hypocrisy, I think that really is the purview of the Federal Labor Government which, when granting self-government to this Territory, was supposed to ensure that there were transitional financial arrangements which would continue for a certain period of time.
The two reviews conducted so far, especially the Else-Mitchell review, instigated by the Chief Minister, have clearly shown how lacking the Federal Government is in that regard, how it lacked real integrity and credibility, because the bottom line is that our debts are quite extreme. I saw a figure of a $796m shortfall in what the Federal Government should be providing for this Territory. That is really quite shameful. That is something which, as the Chief Minister stated recently, this Government is going to take up with the Federal Government. It is also something we have to address because there is simply a lack of money; we are on our own; we are standing on our own two feet.
I suppose it is questionable whether we can get all that we should from the Federal Government and we simply have to make do with what we have and make self-government work. Much of what is in the report of the Priorities Review Board indicates the general thrust that this Government
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