Page 5114 - Week 17 - Wednesday, 12 December 1990
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their legislation in regard to Lake Burley Griffin - one of only three lakes - before we can proceed. Quite clearly, it is the Government members opposite who are going to take that action, Mr Deputy Speaker, and who quite obviously are prepared to bow to the Commonwealth view on that matter.
What a contrast! And it shows up Mr Kaine's true motives in this matter. His motives are, as I have said, to delay any action on private members' business and to thwart a committee of this Assembly - a committee which is dominated by his own Government members - in the full application and carrying out of its responsibilities. It is a contempt for this Assembly and for its committees, and I think that it cannot be held as anything other than a shameful attempt further to delay private members' business.
It is a desperate attempt and one which, I take it, will not succeed now that the Administration and Procedures Committee has, quite rightly, called upon Mr Kaine to act forthwith. It should never have had to make that call. Mr Kaine has acted with all due haste in every other respect where it suited him. He has attempted to politicise this committee, and in doing that he has demonstrated his contempt for this Assembly. I support Mr Prowse's motion, and I call upon every member opposite to do the same.
MR MOORE (4.18): Mr Deputy Speaker, I want to start by congratulating Mr Prowse and the Administration and Procedures Committee for taking this stance. It is quite appropriate for that committee to move in this particular way, and I think it is significant that its members have taken it on. In particular, the Speaker has taken the role - quite appropriate to him - of considering what is in the best interests of all of the members of the Assembly rather than what is in the interests of the Government. I reiterate my congratulations in this particular respect, and my congratulations to him on appropriately carrying out that role.
We have a situation where an amendment that was discussed last night - an amendment to the self-government Act - is already before Federal Parliament. That amendment, of course, is in relation to the package of Acts. It refers to the land management Act and has to do with the transition period, but already an amendment of one of those four self-government Acts is proceeding.
It would have been the perfect time, had this action been taken with appropriate haste, to ask the Minister for Territories to present this amendment as well, because quite clearly an amendment of the Act is needed. Quite clearly, action from the Federal Government is required in order to ensure that the business of this house is carried out appropriately, and that private members have the opportunity to present Bills without having whatever Bills are presented questioned in terms of their charges.
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