Page 3464 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 18 September 1991
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Well, it is true that I cannot require Mr Humphries to withdraw a Bill, and in that sense, yes, it was an unfortunate turn of phrase. I think it was a bit churlish of Mr Humphries to raise it as a matter of privilege, because it clearly is not. I cannot require that. I have been around the Assembly long enough to know that I cannot require it.
If I have offended you, Mr Speaker, in that respect, I very sincerely apologise. I want to make it clear that there was no ability on my part to require Mr Humphries to do anything in relation to the matter; but what is required for the purposes of consultation, fair consultation, is that the Bill be withdrawn. I think the message is clear to Mr Humphries. If we are to get fair dinkum consultation completed in relation to that report I think the community would require that the Bill be withdrawn. I just hope that I have not offended you, Mr Speaker. The form of words was unfortunate, and I can say no more than that.
MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, I seek leave to make a short statement.
Leave granted.
MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Berry has raised some issues concerning the Trading Hours Bill which, with respect, are completely irrelevant to the matter of privilege that I have raised with you; but, since he has raised them and spoken on the matter, I intend to touch on them very briefly. Mr Berry says that the Government released a report. That is not quite true. The fact is that the Opposition released that report because the Government did not intend to. The report became public a day before the Minister in fact was prompted to release it for public discussion.
Secondly, Mr Berry claims that the Government intends to consult on that report, or at least consult on the question of trading hours. I would remind him of two things: First of all, extended trading has now been a reality in the ACT for almost two years, and consultation is almost past its prime, I would have thought, at this stage. Secondly, Mr Berry's Government has sat on that report for three-and-a-half months without any consultation being attempted. In fact, no consultation would have been appropriate or possible in the circumstances that the report on which that consultation would have to be based was being concealed by the Government through non-disclosure.
Mr Berry had the chance three-and-a-half months ago, when he was sworn in as the Minister responsible for industrial relations in this Government, to table that report and get on with consultation. He had not done so.
Mrs Nolan: Didn't a consultant consult?
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