Page 4959 - Week 16 - Tuesday, 26 November 1991
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I do think it is appropriate that people protesting for peace protest peacefully. It is quite right that there should be a major protest at Aidex. I think this Assembly has been very sensible in supporting Mr Connolly's original decision to ensure that this is the last time we have Aidex in the ACT and the last time Mr Stefaniak gets to wear a VIP badge.
Returning to the topic, I think we all feel that it is appropriate for us, whatever our favourite area is, to see that it has an increase in funds, let alone avoiding a cut in funds. Whilst it may be of advantage to Mr Stefaniak to be able to go to his police officer friends, his friends in the union, and say, "I have done my best, but unfortunately it was not carried"; or "Beaut, look at what I was able to carry through the Assembly", it really is not going to achieve anything and it is entirely inappropriate. I think Mr Stefaniak should withdraw this amendment.
MR KAINE (Leader of the Opposition) (9.55): I find it quite incredible that Mr Moore feels impelled to jump to his feet to speak for the Government on this issue.
Mr Berry: We were going to stick to one speaker from each party.
MR KAINE: Mr Berry says "one speaker"; but he does not mind Mr Moore jumping up and defending the Government, instead of government members jumping up to defend themselves. It is quite incredible, quite extraordinary. The fact is that, if Mr Stefaniak had wanted to defend the Australian Federal Police Association, he would have gone for the whole $1.2m to be reinstated. But he did not do that, and it shows that he has some perception of where the cut in the police budget is going to have its most direct impact: On the person on the street in Civic Centre or in Woden, where the shopfronts are. To say that Mr Stefaniak is a spokesman for the police union because he has the effrontery to suggest that the on-the-street police service should be ensured is going over the top a little.
Mr Moore points out that this really is an ineffective amendment, and of course it is. If Mr Moore takes the trouble to find out how, as a member of this Assembly, one can influence the budget once it is put on the table, he will discover that there is very little scope. We have gone through the Estimates Committee process, and even there we made no impact whatsoever on the Government. Mr Moore was a member of the Estimates Committee and he joined with the rest of us in making some very substantive suggestions to the Government. They have arbitrarily set them aside. In no case did they pick up a recommendation or a suggestion from this Assembly, through its Estimates Committee, that their budget should be changed.
Mr Connolly: That is not true.
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