Page 2219 - Week 07 - Thursday, 6 June 1991
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that they can be reopened in the future. That is their desire, and it is certainly a strong one. It is the community's money that pays. Certainly the vast majority of the large budget in the ACT goes towards health and education.
There have been many decisions by both sides in this Assembly that the people do not agree with. I have not the slightest doubt that if self-government is not abolished there will be many more decisions, one after another, that large numbers of the community will not agree with. But, while ever the Assembly is here, there is perhaps one remedy so that there will be some sort of a democratic say from the people of Canberra. Through a voters' veto the citizens, when they feel strongly about a particular issue, can put a matter to the community.
How is that done? Possibly 3 per cent of the electorate in Canberra, perhaps some 5,000 people, would sign a petition and submit that to the Assembly. The Government would be required to hold a referendum, perhaps on one set day each year. The referendum results, unlike referendums we normally have in Australia, and have certainly had in Canberra, would be binding on government. People ask us all, again and again, "How is it that we had two referendums on self-government, yet ended up with self-government?". The reason is that democracy in Australia and in Canberra has been suffering near mortal wounds for a long time. The voters' veto would give great heart to people in our community. There will never be a situation in any community, business, family or organisation where you can survive, let alone flourish and prosper, when people are at loggerheads with each other. That has never happened and it never will happen. We need to work together as a community.
Trevor Kaine has called for a collegiate government. There are perhaps two ways you could look at that. Firstly, I think it is true and is agreed upon by the vast majority of people that if there are people in a government, be it a State-like government, State, Federal or local government, they should all use their abilities to benefit the people in the community. They should not use their abilities to score points, supposedly, from other groupings in the Assembly. It is entirely destructive of community and society when groups within parliaments decide that they will attack the other side. Quite often they will attack the other side for doing something which they themselves supported in the past. A classic example would be the tax that Dr Hewson has said he will introduce. That was a strong platform of the Labor Party. But once the shoe is on the other foot there is a tremendous attack.
This will never benefit any of us and, if we are to do well as a community, it must cease. That is what the people want. There is not the slightest doubt about that. One thing most of us have maintained in this Assembly is that every single person here has abilities that would be useful
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