Page 2352 - Week 08 - Friday, 21 June 1991
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small and much friendlier Assembly that I know we have had in the past. I hope that there is a potential for us to return to it in the future, with a greater emphasis on the committee system - something that I know most of my colleagues in this Assembly are quite happy to support.
It is important to emphasise that the Residents Rally has always said that it was happy to remove the position of Leader of the Opposition. We never supported it, despite suggestions from people opposite, particularly Mr Humphries, that Mr Collaery nominated for the position. That is not strictly correct. Mr Collaery was certainly nominated for the position, but he was nominated by Mr Moore without Mr Collaery's approval. As Mr Humphries knows full well - if he looks at standing order 3(i) - standing order 3(i) quite clearly says that, once nominated, a member cannot withdraw until after the first ballot. Mr Humphries, who was present in the chamber at the time, quite clearly saw Mr Collaery indicate that he was not keen to be nominated for that position; but, unfortunately, it was not possible for him to withdraw until after the first ballot.
Mr Humphries: You are rewriting history, Norm.
MR JENSEN: It is the truth, Mr Humphries, and I am afraid I must tell the truth.
Mr Humphries: No, it is not the truth.
MR JENSEN: It is the truth. That is what happened. You were here, Mr Humphries. You know full well what, in fact, occurred.
Mr Humphries: He can decline the nomination.
MR JENSEN: He cannot decline the nomination. I have asked that question before and the advice that I have been given is that it is not possible to decline the nomination until after the first ballot, Mr Humphries. Show me in standing orders where it says that he can decline the nomination. It is not there. So, Mr Humphries, do not try to mislead the people with your interjections. On that basis I think it is important that this Assembly today remove this iniquitous part of the standing orders so that we can operate with a much more consultative style of Assembly such as the numbers in the Assembly clearly establish.
MR BERRY (Deputy Chief Minister) (8.29): I think the most important thing that we have to look at in this debate is the history of the Assembly. It is very clear that this Assembly decided, on 11 May 1989, that we would have a Leader of the Opposition. There is a very good reason for that. There was a very strong convention in the Westminster system for a Leader of the Opposition. And, in turn, there is a good reason for that. According to legal advice which was provided to the Assembly, it is to ensure a democratic system of government on the basis that there
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