Page 4428 - Week 15 - Tuesday, 19 November 1991
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MR BERRY: Seventeen million dollars - and he starts to worry about the cost of this proposal. He cannot even manage his own areas, and he is worried about a few dollars for the passage of what he and his colleagues consider to be important items of business, private members' business. They ought not to be churlish; they ought not to be cynical; and they should, in fact, approve of a sensible timing for this day of private members' business. A sensible day, Mr Speaker, is of course a day when the Chief Minister can be here.
It is quite clear that there is mischief in the minds of those opposite rather than any concern for the proper consideration of matters in this Assembly. They are attempting to make it difficult for the Government. We do not mind. We can deal with that. But what these people have to understand is that they will be shown to be churlish in their attitude to the Government and the way in which the Government is able to bring business before this house. They are attempting to interfere in the process of Cabinet. What we have to do is expose them for that.
The day proposed in my motion is a sensible day. It is a day when the Chief Minister can be here. I would expect the members opposite to be decent enough and have sufficient good manners to accept that there are some issues which have to be dealt with outside the Territory by the Chief Minister. One, of course, is the Adelaide meeting which is proposed for the 22nd. It is not good enough for members opposite to try to substitute dates which are aimed at undermining the proper carriage of business by Cabinet, Mr Speaker. I urge members to support the motion I have moved.
MR KAINE (Leader of the Opposition) (8.07): Mr Speaker, I oppose Mr Berry's motion. If he really intended that it be passed, the last thing he would do would be to come in here and accuse us of being mischievous, churlish and cynical.
Mr Berry: Well, you are all three.
MR KAINE: You are all three. This motion is clearly intended only to stir up a heated debate. You are not going to have your way, Mr Berry. For you to pretend that you do not know what the Liberals in opposition think is an outright lie. Our case has been put to you.
Mr Berry: On a point of order, I require that to be withdrawn.
MR KAINE: I withdraw that, Mr Speaker. But Mr Berry well knows that our case has been put to him. He was told, without any equivocation whatsoever, that the Liberals were prepared to change to the 22nd. Incidentally, that is a date which he himself chose for private members' business; we did not. It was to satisfy Mr Berry that we opted for the 22nd.
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