Page 5049 - Week 17 - Wednesday, 12 December 1990
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matter of significant importance in good faith before this house. That is precisely why this Lakes (Amendment) Bill was introduced by Ms Follett in September. It was a measure in response to a community concern and it was introduced in good faith into this Assembly and presented to the Government for its consideration with statements by the Leader of the Opposition that we were happy to consult, we wished to consult on the matter, and we hoped that the Government would take up this legislative initiative. Since September of this year Ms Follett's office has, time and time again, sought to contact the relevant Minister to discuss this matter in a non-partisan spirit and in good faith, to try to get this necessary measure introduced.
The Attorney-General smugly, thinking he is clever, gets up today and says that there is a legal difficulty with this Bill. I have not read this opinion, and he may well be correct. It is based on Law Office advice, and as always we would look very carefully at the Law Office advice because we have respect for the advice of the Law Office. What it says in this advice may well be right; but the important point of this advice, Mr Speaker, is that it is dated 19 September. So, for nearly three months this Government has sat on this advice and has knocked back every effort by the Leader of the Opposition's office to consult in good faith on this matter, in order to give the Attorney his little moment in the sun where he jumps up and smugly and cleverly tries to score some political points off the Opposition. I suggest, Mr Speaker, that the opprobrium of the community will be directed at Mr Collaery, not at the Opposition.
The Opposition has, in good faith, introduced a necessary and desirable reform. It has repeatedly attempted to discuss this matter with the Government, and it is clearly not a partisan political issue. It is clearly not an issue with any ideological content. It is hardly likely that we are going to be fighting the next election on the issue of lights on sailing boats on Lake Burley Griffin or such other lakes as may or may not be covered by the legislation.
We have tried to do the right thing. The Leader of the Opposition's staff has repeatedly tried to do the right thing, dealing through the office of the relevant Minister, Mr Duby. Instead of consultation in good faith as the Attorney says, and based - and I am not canvassing the validity of this advice - on the advice of the Law Office, there appears to be a problem. If, after 19 September when he was in receipt of this advice, the Attorney-General had passed the message on to the Leader of the Opposition's staff, "Look, we think there is a problem here. We understand what you are trying to do. We think there is a problem. Let us talk about it", as the Attorney says, it could have been sorted out in five minutes; but no, the Government is not prepared to discuss the matter in good faith. It is not prepared to seek a sensible solution to this problem. On receipt of this advice from the Law
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