Page 4433 - Week 15 - Tuesday, 19 November 1991
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I support Mr Duby. I think we can find a suitable time. If Mr Berry had been gracious enough to come down and talk to us about finding a suitable date other than the 22nd or the 29th, I am sure we could have found one. But, as usual, he has not tried to do that; so we are left to our own devices.
Mr Berry: No, your representative met with me last Friday.
Mr Kaine: And he told you that the 29th was not acceptable.
MR HUMPHRIES: Indeed. Clearly, Mr Speaker, I think we should not be looking at what is acceptable to the majority; we should be looking at what is acceptable to the whole Assembly. Let us see whether we can find a better time.
Mr Duby: We should have consensus.
MR HUMPHRIES: I do not much like that word, but consensus will do. I disagree with Mr Moore's comments, but I think the 25th is the best day. If too many of us are going to be out of the Territory at any other time, I think it would be much easier to reorganise Cabinet's meeting for some day besides Monday. After all, on occasions the Alliance Cabinet met on other days. It met on Tuesdays, as I recall, on a couple of occasions and it certainly met on Sundays. If it could meet on those days, I do not see why the Labor Government's Cabinet could not meet on similar days.
Mr Duby: Why can we not sit at night on Wednesday and Thursday?
MR HUMPHRIES: That is another proposal. We could sit in the evenings or, indeed, Cabinet could sit in the evenings. Those things have also happened in the past, and I do not see why they could not happen again. What is the big deal about Monday? As to the argument that Cabinet traditionally meets on Mondays, I must say that I have never heard Mr Berry in the past cite tradition as an argument in favour of doing anything. So, I will tuck that away and quote it back to him on future occasions - and I am sure there will be many.
MR CONNOLLY (Attorney-General, Minister for Housing and Community Services and Minister for Urban Services) (8.21): Mr Speaker, I move:
That "25" be omitted from Mr Collaery's amendment and the words "a date to be fixed" be substituted.
I hope that this amendment will restore some sensibility to these proceedings. In effect, it picks up the very rational proposal that Mr Duby put forward earlier on - a very sensible, calm proposal - and picks up what seemed to be even words of reason coming from Mr Humphries. To get
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