Page 2574 - Week 09 - Thursday, 8 August 1991
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will not breach confidence and table the letter. I have that extraordinary letter. I want to make special mention of South Australia. I am surprised at Mr Bannon. I guess he had to do it from his position in the ALP. He took Senator Richardson to task, circulated that letter one night throughout the nation and king-hit him just when he was starting to get a roll on over this untying business. It is in the interests of the debate that parties that might be able to use that correspondence not use it. I give full credit to Mr Kaine for not alluding to those issues at this stage.
Mr Speaker, in South Australia they carried the conscience on welfare related issues for years and years. We have had the benefit of good exchange of ideas and processes from that State. Other States will not listen to them and want to go their own way and reinvent the wheel, particularly some of the more conservative and reactionary States.
I do not support the untying notion in the communique that says that the Commonwealth in some areas will look after, for example, employment and training and the States will simply pick up the good works. It does not work that way, in my view. I believe that the States, if the Commonwealth does not wish to take the lead, should set upon a States agreed standard, a uniform standard of service in a particular service area. The States together, collaboratively, should find the best model around the nation and we should agree to adopt it, whether it is in Western Australia, South Australia or whatever. We should put away all this States rights nonsense. I believe that in significant areas there are matters to adopt from South Australia and I regret the very pushy role that the Premier there is following at the moment in that area.
Mr Speaker, turning to the planning of cities and Mr Brian Howe's initiatives in that area, I had the honour to represent the Territory at a planning Ministers conference this year at Parliament House. Clearly, the Commonwealth is anxious to get some model developments going in some of the States so that we can look at urban consolidation from a point of view of accessible access to housing. At the same time, Simon Crean is pressing modular construction issues and award restructuring concepts to interrelate all those issues to housing and housing accessibility.
There is not enough in the communique relating to joint effort on industrial relations issues, award restructuring, and concrete and desperate measures for research funds to be spent on better forms of building construction. People are saying that no grants were given. The States sat around at that meeting waiting to see how much money Brian Howe would give, so that we could get positive research going with the union movement on better building style. The money has not come forward. It is just an expression of intent at this stage. I believe that more action is necessary and I hope that the Chief Minister will press that. (Extension of time granted)
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