Page 2941 - Week 10 - Thursday, 16 August 1990
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ACT a young man of the calibre and quality of Gary Humphries.
MR SPEAKER: Before we proceed I would like to rule on Mr Berry's point of order. I uphold his position. I rule that the word "deception" in Mr Collaery's amendment is out of place and is to be withdrawn from the amendment.
Mr Berry: So the whole amendment is out of place.
MR SPEAKER: Well, if you want another amendment put. I will just allow the debate to continue with that word removed from it. Please proceed, Mr Moore.
MR MOORE (11.22): It seems to me that what Mr Humphries is dealing with, and what this censure motion deals with, is the single most important issue that has come before this parliament. It is recognised as such by the community. It is not just an issue of the closure of schools; it is an issue that has a major impact on each of the suburbs that are involved as well.
The motion that Mr Wood has moved attempts to censure the Minister for his attack on the health and education systems in the ACT. The Minister's attack on these systems is, of course, in its broadest context, a direct attack on the whole community of the ACT, and it is particularly concentrated on those that can least afford to protect themselves. I have often said to people that Mr Humphries has been single-minded, that he has been courageous in facing the people, and that he has worked extremely hard on these things - and nobody can take that away from him. I have also disagreed with him on many occasions - and I am sure he is rather pleased about that side of it, as indeed am I. However, what we are dealing with here is a censure motion for the way he is attacking the very kernel of our suburbs, the very kernel of our education system, and the very kernel of our planning - and that is the primary schools in the ACT.
Mr Collaery, in his tirade on the Labor Party, which had very little to do with trying to protect his fellow Minister - probably because he does not really feel that he wants to - talked about my tagging along with the Labor Party to various public meetings. It is true that I have attended a large number of public meetings over the last three weeks. In fact, it is only on two Saturday nights that I have actually been at home and not at such meetings. On some of those occasions there were members of the Labor Party at those meetings.
But at the vast majority of the particular meetings that I went to, that was not the case. I went to those meetings because I was invited to them by the community. The members of the community who were there at those meetings are horrified at the sort of attack that has been made by this Alliance Government and, in particular, by Mr Humphries.
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