Page 423 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 19 February 1991
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Mr Speaker, of course the Labor Opposition welcomes the Federal Government's - and I quote from the motion - "stated intention to repatriate to the people of the ACT - through its elected representatives - the power to determine their own electoral arrangements". Indeed, we also support the granting of the power to determine how many Ministers should be appointed in this Assembly. But we have to recognise, irrespective of what Dr Kinloch has said - I hasten to add that I am prepared to risk a thump from Dr Kinloch in questioning what he has said - that this is after all a decision that is going to be made by the Federal Government. It has the mandate given to it by the people of Australia to create self-government in the ACT, and it is doing it.
The fact of the matter before us is that most of the people in Australia, based on the publicity that this place has got, would be very reluctant to give the members opposite the right to do anything much if they were able to choose again. Let us face it; who would give the people opposite the power right now to determine their own electoral arrangements? What would be the results? Well, we know from the radio station interview which has been talked about earlier. Mr Collaery, in the first place, was opposed to any d'Hondt gerrymander, as he described it, but later on said that it was one of the fairest systems.
That should make Dr Kinloch worry a little bit because, if it had been the pure d'Hondt system which Mr Collaery seems to have supported before the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, then Dr Kinloch would not have been elected. So I suppose Dr Kinloch would be worried about that. We are not quite sure where the Residents Rally is coming from; but one thing we can be certain of is that it will change, and it might change more than once.
We know where the Liberal Party is coming from. They are coming from the same old sleight of hand, pretending to be something like the Labor Party until they get elected. Then all the sellouts and all sorts of things go on.
Mr Kaine: That will be the day. Why would anybody want to claim that?
Mr Stefaniak: I certainly hope not.
Mr Jensen: Are you talking about the right wing, Wayne? The right wing or the left wing?
Mr Kaine: Yes, which part of the Labor Party do you like? Tell us.
MR BERRY: The chooks on the fence are getting a little bit edgy again, Mr Speaker. They cannot stand it when a few of these things are thrown up at them. I also was reading from the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters - - -
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