Page 2229 - Week 07 - Thursday, 6 June 1991
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heard about only what the individual members of this Assembly are going to do and how they are going to vote. For quite a while I was wondering just how the Rally members were in fact going to vote.
Mr Collaery said a little earlier that that was the reason why he appointed David Read to do the negotiations; I think they are the correct words. Well, he did not negotiate with me; but certainly, if what I have read in the paper was accurate, it was a funny way to negotiate.
It is most important that we should be looking at self-government for this Territory and the way that it has been seen around the rest of Australia. It certainly has not been seen in a good light. Some of the decisions taken today by some of the members form one of the reasons why, in fact, that light is not so good. It is a pity. They have taken their course of action and obviously they are going to look at the consequences when it comes to the next election which, really, is not going to be all that far away.
It was not going to be easy for Trevor Kaine as Chief Minister with a minority government. It is not going to be easy for Rosemary Follett as Chief Minister with a minority government. Perhaps, on reflection, it might be easier if the Canberra community went to an election after August and then really determined the people that they would like to see representing them in this Assembly.
Something that we have not heard much about this afternoon has been the private sector. The private sector certainly was referred to by Mr Kaine in his speech, but we really have to give consideration to where our children are going to get jobs if it is not in the private sector. I have two children; many members of this Assembly have children. I think that much more consideration should be given to attracting business to this city. It is something that has not been done as well as it should have been. Obviously we have seen the list of Alliance Government achievements. I recognise that there have been some very good ones. There have perhaps been some that have not been so good. But it is very difficult when you are in an alliance of three political groupings, obviously, to go full steam ahead and achieve as perhaps we would have been able to do if we had had a majority in our own right.
There are many other things that I could mention here this afternoon, not only in terms of achievements but also in terms of the difficult time I have had in my role as whip. It has not been an easy role. It is very difficult, looking at the number of groupings. I have to say that for the last 12 months the Rally wanted that position; it seemed to be some sort of coveted position. I am not quite sure why. Perhaps they can tell me some time why it was so important for them to have that particular position.
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