Page 2340 - Week 08 - Friday, 21 June 1991
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MR DUBY: Yet I have not heard anything along those lines coming from you, Mr Humphries. It is clear that you have decided that somehow this goes against the natural order of things; that the major parties, between them, now have the right to the position of either Chief Minister or Leader of the Opposition. Such is clearly not the case. We are also going to see the bizarre situation, in my view - if it is attempted to force the matter through right now - of the Government of this Territory in effect electing the Leader of the Opposition. Such a situation is frankly ludicrous. What democracy in the world, what Westminster system of government, allows the government of the day to have a say in who should be the Leader of the Opposition? It is a scandal and it is an outrage.
Ms Follett does well to leave this Assembly. She must be hanging her head in shame at the thought that the Labor Party, that supposedly great democratic party, is party to these goings-on. I think it is a real day of shame. What we have seen clearly is that Mr Humphries in particular and the Liberal Party generally are, frankly, sore losers. In Mr Humphries' comments this morning we had the bizarre situation of him saying that, because he was outvoted by members of this Assembly in seeking election to a position, that was undemocratic.
Mr Humphries: I did not say that.
MR DUBY: You did so.
Mr Humphries: I said that having no Opposition Leader was undemocratic.
MR DUBY: You said, "If I can get only five votes and someone else can get six, it is undemocratic that I do not have the position".
Mr Humphries: No, I did not say that.
Mr Connolly: That is not what he said.
MR DUBY: We are all great bedfellows. Yes, we are all together now, and we will soon see what is happening here. This denies the non-government members of this Assembly, both now and in the future, the right to decide by election who should be in the position of Leader of the Opposition. If this motion is passed, I think it will be an absolute travesty. It indicates just what bad sports the members of the Liberal Party are and what sort of person the man who wishes to become leader of this opposition is.
MR HUMPHRIES (7.49): Mr Speaker, Mr Duby says that we are sore losers in this part of the house. I think that Mr Duby well knows that earlier this afternoon - - -
Mr Connolly: You blokes were all cabinet colleagues two weeks ago.
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