Page 5229 - Week 17 - Thursday, 13 December 1990
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It is well known that there are days occasionally when Ministers are out of town. Sometimes there is only one Minister here. Big deal! Mr Speaker, for the last umpteen years this Territory has been governed by absentee Federal Ministers. Few of them have lived in the Territory and nobody has been around when we have had a real problem at short notice.
Mr Speaker, I cannot see anything in Mr Wood's matter of public importance that should interest anyone but people opposed to self-government and politicians generally. Sadly, tragically, Mr Wood has inadvertently - he is a man of honour himself - fed that anti-politician line. He has done it today and it is regrettable. It will get a headline, no doubt. You have done it. You will paint up Mr Kaine, who has worked pretty hard this year, and Mr Humphries, who has been the target all year, as slacking off and having a non-deserved holiday. Mr Speaker, that was a churlish proposition. Ideology apart, I trust that we do not have a debate like this again in the Assembly and start picking on each other for taking a break.
Mr Speaker, I want to thank Mr Wood for one thing and to issue a challenge. I want to thank Mr Wood because he has pointed up again this Government's call to his Federal Labor colleagues for an increase in the size of the ministry. Mr Speaker, that was the only positive side of the MPI. Any concerns that Mr Wood has - his fellow ALP people may get up and address them now - will be met if they would just care to comment now as to whether they would like to talk to any of their Federal Labor colleagues about increasing the size of the ministry forthwith, tomorrow, to cure the problem you have perceived.
Mr Moore: We have a resolution of the Assembly.
MR COLLAERY: Certainly, Mr Speaker, we have a democratic resolution of the Assembly, as Mr Moore aptly says. It has not been acted on by those great democrats over there in the Federal Labor Party Cabinet. Shame on them. Mr Wood is keeping quiet at the moment. I share his embarrassment, too, for their absolute denial of democracy, their disgraceful treatment of a proper motion of this Assembly. Mr Speaker, I am sure that Mr Wood will now go and have a quiet chat to his Labor colleagues in the parliament who have delayed for several months even an answer on this Assembly's resolution on the size of the ministry.
What today's debate points up is the manner of that Federal Labor Party over there, its disgraceful, cavalier high-handed treatment of this Territory, not only on this but on financial matters as well. Mr Speaker, considering the hard work we have all put in here, it ill behoves Mr Wood to put on this MPI just before this Christmas season of peace and goodwill. I regret very much the headline it will probably attract, because it will reflect on all of us.
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