Page 1060 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 20 March 1991
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MR BERRY: The Minister interjects and says that it is inadequate. It would have to be better than nothing. This Government opposite has done nothing, and they do not look as though they are going to do anything for a while yet because the Minister cannot give us a time. He says, "Some time later this year". I must say that every time the Minister makes these sorts of announcements he expresses confidence that something will happen but never gives an unequivocal commitment that it will happen.
We are not confused on this side. He does not build any confidence in us because the results, of course, fly in the face of any confidence that this Government will ever do anything progressive. That has been the situation with this food legislation. "I'm gunna ..." has been the approach of the Government on these issues. Meanwhile, Territorians run the risk of being forced to eat rancid food; food that is just not up to standard. This Government is prepared to cop that. This Minister, who is supposed to be concerned with health, who cannot provide beds in his hospital system, cannot provide - - -
MR SPEAKER: Relevance, please.
MR BERRY: This is very relevant. It is to do with a health issue in the Territory. This Minister for Health has said that progress is not adequate, yet he carps about the Labor Party because it has done something about the issue. To point out the shortcomings of this Minister's performance, one has to turn to his failure to provide ambulance services, and his failure to provide beds for the people who are sick in the Territory - people might be affected by food which is not covered by proper legislation in the Territory, legislation which this Government has not been able to produce.
I know that Government members would be stinging because of their poor performance in the delivery of legislation to this Assembly. They dither about on important legislation. Mr Humphries expresses confidence that something will happen, but it does not; and then they complain because the Labor Party, even with its scant resources, is able to bring forward legislation which will improve the situation.
The only thing that is correct in the Minister's statement is that it might well be better later on, but what we want to do is improve the situation now. All that this Government could do with its 17,000 advisers is tell us where we are wrong. We have made the moves to improve the situation; all that the Government members opposite can do is whinge about progress.
Ms Follett: They have been caught out again; that is why.
MR BERRY: Indeed. The Leader of the Opposition says that they have been caught out, and there has never been anything truer. They get caught out day after day on their poor performance. The people of the ACT have been waiting
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