Page 196 - Week 01 - Thursday, 9 April 1992
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response to the voice of a minority without even waiting to hear the voice of the majority. These are but a few examples of the falsity of Labor's claims to openness, consultation and social justice; but they constitute an indictment of Labor's performance as compared with their pretence.
On the question of Labor's failure to tell the electorate about their real policies, the Chief Minister says, "Let there be no doubt about our agenda". The Assembly and the people of Canberra have good reason to harbour enormous doubts about the Government's agenda. The Government are notorious for saying one thing to the community while in fact pursuing a different agenda which they do not publicise. Ms Follett asserts:
... the policies we announced in the course of the recent election campaign will form the basis of the next three years ...
But she and her colleagues went to great lengths throughout the election to avoid any statement on policy because they knew that the ALP platform was a document that the general community would find totally unacceptable. They did not publicise its existence, and even those who were aware of its existence could get a copy only from Labor headquarters at a cost of 10 bucks. That is what passes for openness to the Labor Party.
There was no discussion during the campaign about that part of the ALP's policy, for example, that promised to "encourage the establishment and development of viable public enterprises using nationalisation". What we heard instead was that an ALP government would "encourage private enterprise". Of course, the two propositions are totally incompatible, and we discover that in reality the Follett Government intends, for example, to return to public sector land development. This is a clear case of Ms Follett making tailored statements that she thought would appeal to the community while in reality there is a quite different ALP secret agenda.
Neither did we hear anything about the Government's intention to establish a freestanding abortion clinic. Presumably they hoped that they could slip that one in through the back door without regard for public consultation or social justice.
Debate interrupted.
ADJOURNMENT
MADAM SPEAKER: Order, Mr Kaine; I am sorry to interrupt you. It now being 4.30 pm, I propose the question:
That the Assembly do now adjourn.
Mr Connolly: Madam Speaker, I require that the question be put forthwith without debate.
Question resolved in the negative.
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