Page 2215 - Week 07 - Thursday, 6 June 1991
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
As anyone on the fifth floor could attest, Mr Collaery's time has been regularly filled, as he has listened to community groups, public servants and professionals, seeking good advice before proceeding with courses of action. It has been a constant disappointment to me that Mr Kaine has not been so keen to seek or to take advice. Most of the public perception problems of the Alliance Government could have been avoided if the processes had changed.
After all, it is the residents of Canberra who are affected by the decisions we make here. While they usually do accept that tough decisions have to be made, they need to own those decisions by being involved in the process. There is consultation and consultation. In the planning arena, the days of trucks and plans arriving on Friday morning and saying, "Work starts on Monday; this is what we are going to build", are long gone, Mr Deputy Speaker. The planning legislation that will be brought in very shortly will put that sort of problem very quickly to rest.
Mr Deputy Speaker, this is an area that I have tried to push in my time as Executive Deputy. At this stage I wish to express my thanks to the many public servants with whom I have dealt in the last 18 months, especially in the Department of the Environment, Land and Planning and the Department of Urban Services, who have taken these ideas on board and, in their normal efficient and cooperative fashion, have steadily increased the level of consultative forums and their responsiveness to the community. I extend my thanks to them all and wish them all the best in the months to come under whatever ministerial arrangements are provided.
Indeed, Mr Deputy Speaker, it is this whole issue of listening to the community which has brought us to this place today. Like his colleague Mr Greiner, we have here, unfortunately, a Chief Minister who has failed to listen to the voice of the people and who has failed to understand that the community wish and require to be consulted on the issues which affect them. While government, Mr Deputy Speaker, is about financial responsibility and stability, it is also about responsiveness and maintaining our heritage for the future.
In supporting this motion of no confidence, Mr Deputy Speaker - let me say that it gives me no joy to do so - I am aware that we will be accused of destabilising the Territory at a critical time prior to the budget.
Mr Kaine: That is dead right.
MR JENSEN: My colleague Mr Collaery, I believe, has answered that adequately.
Mr Kaine: And Rosemary had better watch out because they will pull the rug out from under her, too, again.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .