Page 1308 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 16 April 1991
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made "the" difference. Alternatively, if I had given it to the Labor Party, of course they would not have been going anywhere provided they could have held on to the No Self Government people. So much for the balance of power.
Mrs Nolan: You have not got much time left.
MR STEVENSON: I am asking for an extension. As for "who knocked back a proposed ministerial package of $84,000 a year", I did not say that specifically. That was slightly misrepresented; but not in a major way, not in a major way at all. I think we all understand that the proposal in the ACT for the Chief Minister was around about $90,000 at one time. That was the proposal that was going around. For Ministers it was $84,000. Indeed, I well understand that that proposal - I think the pamphlet does say "proposed" - was not followed through by the Remuneration Tribunal.
One can only speculate as to whether or not my indication that I would not take any increase in the salary that every other member in this Assembly or their party representatives had asked for had anything to do with that particular situation.
Mr Kaine: Are you going to take the increase this year, Dennis?
MR STEVENSON: Much of my money - I may as well mention it now - goes towards buying stamps. Let me tell you that 100 stamps a month is nowhere near enough for the amount of mail that we send out.
Mr Berry: Not if you are sending stuff to Queensland.
MR STEVENSON: Exactly. There you go. As you can see, it is nowhere near enough. Secondly, putting on public debates and going along - - -
Mr Berry: You are not going to get an extension, Dennis.
MR STEVENSON: It is not okay?
Mr Connolly: If we do not give him an extension he will say that he was gagged; that he would have told us if he had had the extension.
MR STEVENSON: Of course I would say that. As for the Chief Minister's thought about money, holding events where I can survey people and so on costs a great deal of money. As an indication, I spent over $600 out of my salary at the Royal Canberra Show.
Mr Kaine: The rest of us spend the same sort of money. You are no exception.
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