Page 2260 - Week 08 - Friday, 21 June 1991
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for about 300,000 inhabitants of a city-state. For Mr Humphries to quote noble precedent stemming from the House of Representatives, selectively, as it was done, Mr Speaker, did very little to bring this debate forward.
Mr Speaker, I think all of us on this end of the Assembly take objection to what Mr Humphries said about a shabby deal. Was it a shabby deal, I ask you, Mr Speaker, when the members of the Liberal Party in recent days made a demand to the Government for support for the offices of Speaker and Deputy Speaker and the chairs of three committees of the Assembly, knowing that, with the support of Labor, which to the great credit of the Labor Party it did not lend in that number - - -
Mr Berry: They call that a breach of confidence, Bernard.
MR COLLAERY: No. That would have produced an overwhelming preponderance of Liberal Party chairs and all of the other - - -
Ms Follett: What about your list of demands?
MR COLLAERY: Interestingly, although it is not relevant to us in terms of money, as you have heard Mr Duby state, all of the paid positions were grabbed by the Liberal Party. That was a shabby arrangement, Mr Speaker. So, I applaud the result today. I believe that it will ill behove our Assembly to start a personal attack on Mr Duby, who has been courageous enough to take the sponsorship of this motion and to explain, with the rest of us, why it has been done.
MR BERRY (Deputy Chief Minister): I seek leave to make a statement, Mr Speaker.
Leave granted.
MR BERRY: It falls to me to make a statement because for many days I have been involved in negotiations and discussions with all other members of the Assembly about delivering some sort of stable arrangements for the operations of this Assembly. All members or their representatives have been included in that process. The thing that angers me most about what Mr Collaery has just said about those negotiations is the blatant breach of confidence which he committed by announcing the very important elements of discussions between the parties. I must say that they were discussions which I had indicated to him were of a confidential nature because it is important that sensitive issues be dealt with sensitively - not in an opportunistic way, which has been the case now.
I also say, Mr Speaker, that in all of the days and hours of negotiations that have taken place there has not been one mention of this cabal. At all times I have tried to be an honest broker about the issues and concerns of other members of this Assembly who have an interest in presenting
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