Page 4186 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 23 October 1991
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MR SPEAKER: Order, Mr Berry! Relevance, please.
MR BERRY: One of the issues is the way that we can deal with the Rally in relation to these sorts of matters. It was the Residents Rally Minister in the Alliance Government who failed to deliver the goods. How dare the Rally complain about the Follett Government's views on consultation when it is not the Follett Government's money. It is the National Roads and Motorists Association's money, not ours.
I think the job that Mr Connolly has done in consultation with the National Roads and Motorists Association has been creditable. We cannot take all the credit. The NRMA is going to take some of that too, because it is their money. Those are the issues which have been left aside in a political attack by the Residents Rally for Canberra, as they call themselves. They rally for themselves, not for anybody else. At the end of the day, the people of the ACT will recognise that this is just a phoney matter of public importance. I heard Dr Kinloch talking about the prescribed places. I quickly referred to Hansard to check what Dr Kinloch did in relation to that matter when it was before the house, and I found out that Dr Kinloch was not even here when the vote came up. So I wondered how sincere he was about that matter. Indeed, it is something that the Labor Party is committed to. Nine voted against six on this side of the house to prevent that from happening.
My expectation was that there might be some consistency from the Alliance members opposite when they went into opposition. Clearly, my expectation was wrong. They have changed their colours again. I do not mind. One would expect that they would oppose the legislation again; so one does not bring things forward just to be beaten around the head. We have things to do. We want to get important legislation through. I can assure you, Mr Speaker, that, given the opportunity and a sympathetic house, the legislation which provides for prescribed places as referred to by Dr Kinloch will be passed; but we will not do it with the sort of rabble that is in this place under the name of the Residents Rally.
There could have been no expectation that that legislation would have succeeded, Mr Speaker - based on the behaviour of the former government members opposite. The Residents Rally oppose it; Dr Kinloch did not even bother staying in the Assembly when the matter was voted on. So, that exposes the phoney nature of this matter of public importance. It is important to the people of the ACT that this matter be dealt with properly. It is being dealt with properly. I think the debate has shown that it is being dealt with properly, and I think the Residents Rally have been plainly shown up.
MR SPEAKER: Order! The time for this discussion has expired.
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