Page 2468 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 6 August 1991
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that the majority of Australians would agree that there is a requirement for a defence force. Indeed, as I have already indicated, this was the occupation that brought me to this national capital.
The question, however, really is: Do we really want this sort of trade and activity here in the national capital? I suggest that there are other trades and activities that the national capital has chosen not to bring into its confines. Almost from the day this national capital was established, the concept has always been: It will be a national capital; it will be a people capital; it will not be an industrial capital - there will not be smokestacks and other outlets pouring pollution into the atmosphere and into our rivers. The people that were running the national capital made a decision at the time that we would not have a particular industry operating in our city.
So, while we believe that, human nature being what it is, there will continue to be a requirement for people to buy, maintain and develop arms, we believe that it is not inappropriate to decide, as we have done for other industries in the past, that that type of industry is not one that we would seek to encourage here in our national capital.
Some people could argue that I am trying to have two bob each way. Maybe I am, because on that basis you could argue that all people who belong to the defence forces - because the defence forces are effectively the defence industry - should leave this town because we do not want that industry to operate here in the ACT. Okay, that is the conundrum, I guess, that we find ourselves in. But that particular industry, the defence administration industry if you like, has been here almost from the time that the decision was made not to bring industry into this capital. What we are saying is that it is appropriate for that part of the defence industry to operate out of our national capital because it is close to the seat of power.
So, while it could be said that there may be some - how should I put it? - inconsistencies in the arguments that I have put here tonight, it seems to me that, once again, it is not inappropriate, having made similar decisions in the past, for the citizens of this city to say, "We do not want this particular hard edge of the defence industry operating in our national capital".
MS FOLLETT (Chief Minister and Treasurer) (9.36): I will speak very briefly on the motion. I am very pleased indeed that there has been support for Mr Moore's motion from other groups within the Assembly. I think it is an indication to all of us that whenever the issue of world peace arises we always get a lot of rhetoric about it but we less often get any action about it. The fact is that some attempts have been made right throughout the world to actually do something towards world peace in recent years. We have seen the Cold War come to an end. We have Mr Bush
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