Page 4043 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 22 October 1991
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MR BERRY: Most of a day. I had better check the Hansard, because if you said "only half of a day" you could be said to have misled the Assembly. That is how ridiculous this whole process is.
Mr Connolly has made it clear from the outset that the Government's budget will impact on the Government Service and there will be efficiency. There has been no question about that; no question from members of the Opposition. This silly, selective reading of Hansard has resulted in what is an equally silly censure motion that should fail because any interpretation of Hansard will bring one to the decision that is set out in the amendment: "The Assembly notes the agreement by Mr Connolly in the Estimates Committee that there would be efficiencies achieved as a result of the Government's budget and furthermore notes that a complete reading of Hansard both in the Assembly and in the committee confirms this position".
MR HUMPHRIES (4.59): Mr Deputy Speaker, I will be speaking to support the motion and oppose the amendment. The amendment is rubbish; it is garbage, and I will not waste any more time commenting on it. In terms of the substantive motion, Mr Berry alleges that what Mr Duby needs is a lesson in public speaking, that Mr Duby is jealous and really wishes he could speak as wonderfully as Mr Connolly can.
I have to say, Mr Deputy Speaker, that there is a modicum of truth in that. I wish I could say "No, no" and mean "Yes, yes" as well. If there is some technique for achieving that, actually imparting the impression that when I say "No, no" I mean "Yes, yes", or "Yes" when I mean "No", I would very much like to learn what it is. Perhaps Mr Connolly can tell me. When he conducts his classes in public speaking, I will happily come along. Of course, I will not expect to be charged.
Mr Deputy Speaker, Mr Berry makes the point that this is nitpicking. Again Mr Berry, as is so often the case in this place, forgets his own words and statements from the past. He is very happy to set new standards now that he is in government and forget the old standards he set when he was previously in opposition. I want to remind Mr Berry of an occasion. Unfortunately I cannot locate it in the Hansard; so I cannot give more details. Perhaps his recollection might be as good as mine.
I remind him of the occasion when I made a statement to the Assembly, in passing, about a number of things in which I included a reference to the fact that I had not received any objection to a particular proposition or point of view the Government was going to put, or a proposition the Government had adopted. Mr Berry quickly rose, after, I think, question time, in this place to move a motion of censure, as I recall, of the Government because he had
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