Page 4631 - Week 16 - Tuesday, 27 November 1990
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occurred. In other words, funds which had been accumulated over the years for community grant purposes just are not there any longer. They are being grabbed by the Government almost literally out of the hands of every community organisation in this Territory. I say again that these funds have been grabbed out of the hands of the community organisations that initially accepted this arrangement as a trade-off for gambling in our community. They have been had.
The Government has been totally unable to identify exactly how much money falls into this category. An examination of the budget papers suggests that it is of the order of $5m, and the Under Treasurer, Dr Madden, told the Estimates Committee that, after some long-term commitments from the CDF were honoured, some $3m would in fact be pocketed by the Government. What is the true figure? I defy members opposite to tell us.
Nobody in the community will trust the word of any member of this Government. The Labor Party will most certainly vote against these Bills because they remove the only legal guarantee that money will be available in future for community grants. We oppose them also because of the indecent haste with which they are being processed through this Assembly - indecent haste which has even led to a comment by the Scrutiny of Bills and Subordinate Legislation Committee to the effect that there is a bit of an error in one of the Bills. In fact, in relation to the third of the Bills that are the subject of this cognate debate - the Gaming Machine (Amendment) Bill (No. 2) - Professor Whalan has pointed out that one of the notes at the end in fact refers to the drug laws, not to the gaming machine laws. So, you are going to have to sort out that little bit of a mess. But that is an example of the haste, the lack of care and in fact the careless way in which this piece of legislation is being rammed through this house in an attempt to get it through before anybody really notices. It will not succeed and it will come back to haunt you.
MR COLLAERY (Attorney-General) (8.58): Mr Speaker, speaking about indecent haste, I am just leafing through my personal diary to determine when it was that I went with the former head of the Sport and Recreation Office, Mr Peter Conway, to address a sports forum out at the Institute of Sport. It was a very large gathering, with the auditorium full. It was months ago. We fully and frankly discussed the pros and cons of abolishing the Community Development Fund.
Ms Follett: Have you sent them your Bill?
MR COLLAERY: The Leader of the Opposition asks whether I have sent my bill yet. Let me assure the Leader of the Opposition that I do not take gifts whilst I am in office - and I suggest that she might be sensitive on that issue.
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