Page 2308 - Week 08 - Friday, 21 June 1991
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Assembly to have a single person to deal with. Members have shown that they are quite capable of appointing their own whips; or individual members can represent themselves at joint meetings.
We believe that the time has come for a significant development in the processes of this Assembly. We firmly believe that we will have stable government until the next election, and that all members realise the odium which will attach to a divided Assembly which puts the community to a premature, expensive and undoubtedly divisive election. I also inform the Assembly that we are taking the initiative of contacting all Independent members of parliament in Australia with a proposal for their greater interaction on issues to promote fuller representation for the people. We trust that the outcome will provide voters with greater choice at the next election, and greater representation thereafter.
We also believe that the role of Speaker should be reviewed. Whilst we have no complaints of partisanship on the part of the Chair, we believe that the time has come to also review that post and to produce a non-voting political neutrality by having the self-government Act amended to do away with the deliberative vote and give the Speaker a casting vote only. I believe that we should adopt the House of Representatives practice and adopt that procedure.
MR JENSEN (5.13): Mr Deputy Speaker, I believe that today is an historic day for our fledgling Assembly.
Mrs Nolan: "Fledgling" is right.
MR JENSEN: Well, that is true, Mrs Nolan; it is a fledgling Assembly. I think it is appropriate for organisations like ours to grow, as all previous early parliaments have done in Australian history. I suggest that if you go back and read your history you will see, in fact, that that is the case.
Mrs Nolan: Mr Jensen, it will grow without you next time.
MR JENSEN: We will see, Mrs Nolan - through you, Mr Deputy Speaker, we will see. Time will tell.
This important debate may set the scene for a Legislative Assembly which operates on more open and democratic lines than has been possible in other parliaments around the country which are locked into the inflexible two-party system. Indeed, the earlier debate on the notion of a Leader of the Opposition has illustrated this point perfectly. Both of the major parties feel threatened by the presence of small parties and Independents, and so are united in their attempts to denigrate them.
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