Page 4640 - Week 16 - Tuesday, 27 November 1990
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MR DUBY: The Labor Opposition - for sitting there and listening to the loony rantings of the lemming left on their rush to self-destruction. I note that even the current Leader of the Opposition had to get up and go halfway through that enormous expose by Mr Berry, who is, undoubtedly, going to be the Leader of the Opposition, because he is a man who knows numbers. It was too much for her. I doubt if ever there has been such a load of rubbish spoken. It was so bad that even the Labor acolytes who were brought in to listen to the speech got up and left. I could not believe it. It was the first time I have seen them walking out shaking their heads. Obviously something went wrong with the script because the wheels fell off about one-tenth of the way into Mr Berry's speech. I just do not quite understand where it went wrong. He apparently felt that he was making sense, but no-one else did.
The fact of the matter is that the Community Development (Repeal) Bill 1990, the Pool Betting (Amendment) Bill 1990 and the Gaming Machine (Amendment) Bill (No. 2) 1990 all make perfectly good sense. The Community Development Fund, or the CDF, was established well before self-government. As a matter of fact, it was established in 1981, at a time when the ACT was funded through Commonwealth appropriations. It was so well established in those days, for the simple reason that, in 1981, the Attorney-General could go to the Federal Cabinet and say, "We need funding for the Monaro folk group" or something like that. I have never heard such a load of malarky.
Mr Wood: That was also an argument for self-government that you did not want to accept at the time. Why do you not stay a bit consistent?
MR DUBY: That is absolutely right.
Mr Collaery: We have.
MR DUBY: The fact is, though, that the CDF was appropriate at the time. It was established as a mechanism then to - - -
Mr Wood: No, he came in on a different ticket.
Mr Collaery: But you are conceding our case.
MR SPEAKER: Order! Order, Mr Collaery and Mr Duby, please!
MR DUBY: Yes, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: Mr Wood and Mr Collaery, please desist. Mr Duby, please proceed.
MR DUBY: You will note, of course, that whilst the loony lemming was raving on Mr Wood was taking refuge in the room at the back because even he could not bear it, and he is a man not even with the sensibilities of the right.
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