Page 2020 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 8 September 1992
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Mr Lamont: Madam Speaker, we are having trouble understanding Mr Kaine as well as having trouble hearing him.
MR KAINE: You had better understand this bit, because I am going to quote from your own policy. I know that there is some question about whether you even understand that. If you did, you might take a little bit more care. There are two or three things which have not come out yet that are in your policy. Just like abortion and all these other things, I presume that they are going to pop up any tick of the clock now. The first one is that they are going to reform the law - listen to this one, Mr Moore; you will love this - so that a sexual act between consenting minors over the age of 13 is not contrary to criminal law. You ask me how many parents out there with kids 13 years old will agree with that lot; but that is in their agenda. Is that one next week or the month after? Mr Connolly might like to answer that question.
Although we have had protestations from Mr Berry about funding for an abortion clinic, let me quote from page 43 of their platform. These people over here do not seem to recognise that this is in there. It states:
... ... ...
Have as a priority the provision of a free-standing Abortion Clinic.
I repeat, "as a priority". All we wanted to do a couple of months ago was to repeal the termination of pregnancy law. We were not into freestanding abortion clinics. Not half, we are not. There is their policy statement. So where are they going?
Madam Speaker, there is no question at all that the only agenda that this Labor Government has is a social one. They have no economic agenda. Most of what they are doing under their social agenda was not publicly declared as something that they intended to do. They clearly have no strategy. Adhockery is the way that they work from day to day. I suppose the bottom line is that you cannot measure a vacuum, so how do you know whether the Government is performing up to expectations or not.
MS FOLLETT (Chief Minister and Treasurer) (3.41): I am pleased to respond to Mr Kaine's comments about our social agenda. I would like to make it quite clear, right from the start, that I believe that the greatest action you can take towards social justice in our community is to provide people with fulfilling employment. Indeed, that has formed the basis of many of the actions taken by this Government and I am very proud of the achievements that we have made in that regard.
I would like to focus, in my early comments in response to Mr Kaine, on the action we have taken to promote sustainable employment in the ACT. A number of initiatives have been taken by our Government, Madam Speaker, and they will not be the last, of course. Mr Kaine does not like to refer to them, because they reflect well on this Government and they are all issues which have been of genuine assistance to the community. I am sorry to see Mr Kaine leave the chamber. He might have done better to stay here and listen.
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