Page 2630 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 8 August 1990
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MR ACTING SPEAKER: What is your point of order, Mr Berry?
Mr Berry: But I think he ought to lay off that in the context of this debate.
MR HUMPHRIES: I apologise to Mr Berry for making him feel uncomfortable.
MR ACTING SPEAKER: Thank you, Mr Humphries. Would you continue speaking to his amendment and also the motion.
MR HUMPHRIES: It must be very awkward his having to sit here having to talk about numbers when he himself has realised that numbers are very important. Numbers at last weekend's council meeting of the ACT Branch of the Australian Labor Party were also very important. On that occasion Mr Berry was very intent, together with his colleagues from the left faction, in ensuring that the numbers went a particular way. He was successful, I understand, in securing not just a balance of places on a particular delegation, but all the seats on a particular delegation for members of his faction. That is a marvellous achievement. I congratulate Mr Berry on his great talent in securing - - -
MR ACTING SPEAKER: That is all very interesting, Mr Humphries, but could we turn back to this debate?
MR HUMPHRIES: Yes, Mr Acting Speaker. We can see here Mr Berry putting forward in this chamber in respect of the Conservation, Heritage and Environment Committee principles of democracy which are true to the heart of the Australian Labor Party. In the Australian Labor Party when there is an election in which there are two candidates, one of whom gets 85 votes and the other gets one vote, the candidate who wins is the candidate who gets one vote. That is the ALP's idea of democracy and that is what Mr Berry wants to do in this house.
Mr Kaine: But that is until it is reversed by its federal council.
MR HUMPHRIES: The suggestion made by the Chief Minister was that Mr Berry apparently has had the tables turned on him. Poor Mr Berry, who is sweating uncomfortably at the front of the room here, is apparently finding that the tables are turned on him, that his colleagues in the Federal Executive of the ALP have decided otherwise. Well, that is very unfortunate. But I am afraid, Mr Berry, that you have today two disappointments. Both the National Executive of the ALP and this Assembly are going to turn against you. You are not going to get your little tricks in respect of your delegation to the Federal Council of the ALP, and you are not going to get this little deal that you want in respect of members of the Conservation, Heritage and Environment Committee in the ACT.
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