Page 4673 - Week 15 - Thursday, 21 November 1991
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Dr Kinloch: We can sit on Monday night.
MR BERRY: I know that you might like to do that, Hector. I will leave it at that. I just bring it to your attention and test your generosity, that is all.
DR KINLOCH (3.25): Mr Speaker, this is the first I have heard of this obstetrics ward opening. I assume that those who were involved as health spokespersons would have known about that, but I did not know about it. It seems an entirely reasonable request on Mr Berry's part.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
ELECTORAL SYSTEM
Discussion of Matter of Public Importance
MR SPEAKER: I have received letters from Mr Humphries and Mr Moore proposing that matters of public importance be submitted to the Assembly. In accordance with standing order 79, I have determined that the matter proposed by Mr Moore be submitted to the Assembly, namely:
That this Assembly calls on the Federal Parliament to discard the discredited d'Hondt and to provide the Senate electoral system for the 1992 ACT Legislative Assembly elections as recommended by the Australian Electoral Commission to the Electoral Matters Committee of the Federal Parliament.
MR MOORE (3.26): Mr Speaker, we can see the enthusiasm for this topic by the state of the gallery. I shall begin my speech by giving a quotation from the inquiry into the ACT electoral system, Report No. 5 of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters. It states:
... many interest groups will find a communality and as a result substantially less (sic) political parties and candidates will contest the next election.
The great irony is that the quote comes from Mr Duby, MLA. As he knows and as I well know, things change over time. Raising the matter of Duby leads me onto the matter of Hare-Clark, which Mr Duby has decided to turn into a party.
There is no doubt that all members here are delighted by the fact that we will have a referendum on our electoral system so that by the 1995 election the will of the people of the ACT will be implemented. I am sure that by 1995 elections will be carried out under the Tasmanian Hare-Clark system with the Robson rotation. The most important impact of that is that power will be taken out of the hands of a small number of party preselectors and put into the hands of the people.
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