Page 2937 - Week 10 - Thursday, 16 August 1990
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Mr Jensen: Well, you had better ask Michael; he wrote that. He put it in.
MR WOOD: You accepted it. You people who were so wise, so knowing, accepted it. You were slow learners, were you? Indeed you were. So note that difference. We kept to our promise that no schools should close.
Mr Humphries: Except preschools.
MR WOOD: Well, okay, let me repeat: we were looking at preschools, that separate component of education, and, if a preschool that is 20 metres away from a primary school should close, we have no great problem with that. Okay? Now, if you cannot understand that - - -
Mr Humphries: So you will support us on that.
MR WOOD: You keep interjecting, but I will not respond to that nonsense any more. Let me get back to Mr Collaery's default. I think Mr Collaery makes my point more emphatically than I did. We are here discussing a motion of censure of Mr Humphries, Mr Collaery's Cabinet colleague. And what defence - - -
MR SPEAKER: Mr Wood, you are speaking to the amendment.
MR WOOD: Okay, I am responding.
MR SPEAKER: To the amendment?
MR WOOD: To Mr Collaery, thank you - to his amendment. Okay, no question about that. Let me talk about that stratagem. Here we are condemning his colleague, and he cares not to defend him.
Mr Collaery: I did.
MR WOOD: Where did you defend him? I had written down "There was no defence". You spent ten seconds, I would expect, defending your colleague when you said, "He is responding to the Treasurer's demands". That is the only reference that you made.
Mr Collaery: What about the word "courageous"?
MR WOOD: Okay. Well, "courageous" also. You said he was "courageous". But what do we get? We get a tirade about - what were some of the things? - an ALP newsletter; a mental health clinic; Northbourne Flats, a quite important issue; and unions. We get a tirade about those things, but I challenged you to stand up and to defend your colleague, and you refused to do so. You absolutely refused to do so. You do not want to defend your colleague. I stood up a short time ago in my introductory speech and invited members over there to stand up and to defend their colleague. I doubt that will happen because
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