Page 2418 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 7 August 1990
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Mr Jensen: On a point of order, Mr Acting Speaker; I raise standing order 61. Mr Wood was allowed to say his piece in silence. I would request that you direct him to do the same.
MR ACTING SPEAKER: Mr Wood, would you watch your interjections.
MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Acting Speaker, I had no idea that if we threw Mr Berry out at the end of the last session we would end up with him being replaced by Mr Wood. If this is the consequence, I will never again exclude Mr Berry from the Assembly.
It is obvious, Mr Acting Speaker, that I have exposed a gross inconsistency on the part of those opposite when it comes to the issue of - - -
Mr Collaery: Mr Acting Speaker, I do point out that you are, under standing order 37, required to maintain order in the chamber. Mr Wood clearly wants to be thrown out because it will meet his political profile on this issue. I ask that you maintain order without creating a martyr.
MR ACTING SPEAKER: Thank you for that, Mr Collaery. Mr Wood, as I said before, I will have to get a bit more serious with you if you continue to interrupt Mr Humphries because you are in breach of standing order 61.
MR HUMPHRIES: To earn myself some peace and quiet to conclude my remarks I will have to move on to the next point, although I think we have all well understood the sensitivity indicated by those opposite to the very accusations that I have just made. They themselves stand accused of the very things they say this Government is insensitive to.
I think the basic question comes down to this; the Opposition has incumbent upon it an obligation to spell out the alternatives to the course of action that this Government is embarking on. Notwithstanding all the rhetoric and all the flamboyant language used by those opposite, they have not said how they would deal with the financial crisis that this Government faces up to.
The previous Government made no effort to deal with our problems. It acted on the basis that tomorrow was another day and, "We will deal with that situation when we come to it". They pretended that there was no financial crisis looming. We have had to inherit that situation, that lack of foresight, that lack of planning. We have had to face up to that situation because we will not be forgiven by the people of this Territory if we make no effort to put the ACT in a better, stronger financial position than we found it. We will be criticised and attacked and voted out of office if we fail to act, and that is why we feel, despite the political dangers and the perils that we face in taking this very controversial course of action in closing schools, we have chosen the better course of action.
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