Page 2263 - Week 08 - Friday, 21 June 1991
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I use the word "whimsical", Mr Speaker, because for 2 years now this Assembly has been struggling to establish some integrity, to establish itself as a new political entity and to get on with the business of government; and for 2 years certain people in this Assembly have been quite whimsical in their approach. They have switched their allegiance at their convenience. They have often done it without any logicality and without any explanation as to why they have done it. To the extent that the word "farce" continues to be used in the media and elsewhere in connection with this place, you can count on one hand the number of people who are responsible for it - and, Mr Speaker, they sit on the cross benches.
I think that it is time for that matter to be put on the record. I think that it places a great obligation on our new Chief Minister, on the leader of the Liberal Party and, under the circumstances, on the Leader of the Opposition, to continue to demonstrate, to the best of their ability, that this is a place of some integrity; that it is a place that is serious about creating and establishing good government for the Territory. That is their task. That is their task until such time as there is another election to sort out this nonsense and to get in this place some people who can join with those of us who are serious about self-government and about creating a proper and respected self-governing body in this Territory with some integrity.
MR STEVENSON: I seek leave to make a statement.
Leave granted.
Mr Berry: Just say that we should abolish it and sit down, Dennis.
MR STEVENSON: I do not need to say that, Mr Berry; you said it for me. It is something that everybody in here knows full well. Mr Speaker, what everybody knows full well also is that the position of Leader of the Opposition has never been that in action. It is simply something that was determined between the two major parties; it was never placed in the enactment for self-government. It was done along the principle of the two-party machine control of parliaments in Australia.
Perhaps I can throw a little light on how the Opposition Leader or the Opposition worked in this Assembly. I have made the point again and again that I am not in opposition to anything per se, apart from self-government. As for the general rule of being the Opposition, it is a nonsense. Recently I spoke in this Assembly and I made the point that different people have different abilities and they should be used on behalf of the people of the ACT, not in attacking the people that have control of the numbers in this Assembly. That is what the people of the ACT want.
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