Page 2261 - Week 08 - Friday, 21 June 1991
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this Assembly in a positive way. It seems to me that blatant self-interest and spitefulness are more prominent in the philosophy of the cabal opposite than anything else.
Mr Speaker, I also have to talk about the list of demands that was served and made public by the Residents Rally. I have to say that if it had not been made public by the Residents Rally I would not be commenting on it. I refer to their so-called blueprint for stable government. We all saw the 24 demands that were set out in that document. I have to say, Mr Speaker, that they were an outrageous list of demands on any political grouping in order to secure a position of power for the Residents Rally. I am pleased to say that there are no specific agreements by Labor in government to any of those demands.
We have acknowledged our agreement in principle to many of the issues raised, none of which included the Opposition Leader. I have to say, Mr Speaker - I am not sure that it was a confidence, but I hope I am forgiven for this breach - that Mr Collaery informed the then Leader of the Opposition that the position of Leader of the Opposition was a matter for negotiation in the lead-up to a change of government. In other words, Mr Collaery, Kennett-like in his approach, was threatening Rosemary Follett's position, which she then held, as part of the negotiations. He informed us that the Liberals had already agreed to do away with the position of Leader of the Opposition. This is the style of the person who says that he supports stable government.
Mr Speaker, if anything is necessary now, it is an election. We need it now; we need it quickly. This madness cannot be allowed to obtain in this place. If it does, it is nothing but bad for the Territory.
MR KAINE: Mr Speaker, as I was Leader of the Opposition on two occasions, I seek leave to make a statement on this matter.
Leave granted.
MR KAINE: Mr Speaker, it is a matter of some concern and regret to me, first of all, that the leader of the Liberal Party in this house has failed to gain the confidence of the house in terms of being the Leader of the Opposition. I think it is a travesty, quite frankly, that there will in future be only two major parties in this place and that they, as in other parliamentary bodies in Australia, will determine who is the government and who is the opposition. Now, after a period of eight months, or, with good luck, if Mr Berry's comments come to fruition, at some earlier time, the matter of who is in control of this Assembly will be determined not by the members sitting in this place but by the electorate out there. The events that have taken place this afternoon must be a matter of grave concern, not only to me but also to the electorate.
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