Page 85 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 12 February 1991

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... strongly opposes Federal Government plans to close 5 schools.

ALP campaigned on "no school closures". During the Follett Government we kept this promise and balanced the budget.

In fact, that coincided with the Commonwealth's commitment to all of those people who were affected by the school closures that no more schools would be closed for five years. Mr Kaine is very anxious about this because he has been caught out. The fact of the matter is that the community will not be fooled by the sorts of tactics that Mr Kaine seeks to use, because they know the situation. And it is important from a ministerial - - -

Mr Jensen: Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order: the matter of relevance, under standing order 62.

MR SPEAKER: Yes, I would uphold that point of view, Mr Jensen. I believe that it is away from the point of discussion, Mr Berry.

Mr Berry: Speaking to the point of order: This is entirely relevant because it relates to the future - - -

Mr Kaine: To the report on self-government.

Mr Berry: Indeed it does relate to the report on self-government and, of course, it closely relates to the electoral system and what might happen as a result of any future electoral system in the context of the Government's performance - and I have to say that we have to include the performance of the Government on the issue of Ministers. Ministerial performance has been set out in the short history of this Assembly and, of course, the extracts which I am quoting from this very excellent document that I referred to earlier point up the performance of Ministers. I think that is entirely appropriate in the context of this debate.

MR SPEAKER: I would ask you to be closer to the point. I think you are drawing a long bow there, Mr Berry.

MR BERRY: Thank you, Mr Speaker. If I may take it to the limit - - -

MR SPEAKER: I would ask you not to.

MR BERRY: I would not exceed the limit, Mr Speaker. The difficulty, of course, for the Residents Rally in this situation is to cope with what could only be described as an abandonment of the community - and, of course, one of them is now a Minister. I think there is an intention for two of them, at least - two boys - to be Ministers. We will see in the future an absolute rejection of any move in that direction, because of the Residents Rally's performance as Ministers and as non-Ministers in all of


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