Page 2209 - Week 08 - Thursday, 10 September 1992
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MR HUMPHRIES (3.55): We have heard from the Deputy Chief Minister that this is no matter of public importance. He has said that about every matter of public importance that we have raised in this place. His remark today is no different. The fact is that this is an important matter. It is important because it is already in the public domain. It has already been raised in public as a matter of concern. You might shift in your seat, Mr Berry, and shuffle your papers; but the fact is that it is a matter of public concern as expressed not just in the Canberra Times but also in other places.
Mr Ted Mack's comments indicate a very real concern about this sort of thing from a parliamentary point of view. I think this will manifest itself in the next few days in letters to the editor by the general populace. Mr Mack said this morning, "I hope there will be a very strong reaction from the people of Canberra about it", referring to the raid - I use the word advisedly - on the Canberra Times.
Mr Berry: It was not a raid.
MR HUMPHRIES: You have come back, Mr Berry, have you? Fine. Mr Deputy Speaker, this matter of public importance states that the Government has an abnormal tendency to suspect and mistrust others. As I was browsing through my dictionary this morning, I discovered that the phrase "abnormal tendency to suspect and mistrust others" defined paranoia. If only I had realised that, I would have used that word. The fact of life is that in the last few days we have seen many signs on the part of this Government of a desire to crush or dispel opposition and a desire to make sure that this Government's position is not criticised, as it properly would be in the present circumstances, either by the general community or in this Assembly - measures designed to make sure that the Government is immune from the sort of criticism which makes for healthy government.
Let us look at the last few months and the mounting evidence of a siege mentality on the part of this Labor Government opposite. The flow of information to opposition members has, in some cases, been extremely unfortunate. I do not make that comment of all Ministers in this Government; some are better than others. In particular, Mr Berry has a desire to make sure that nothing reaches the Opposition. It is not in the interests of good government in this Territory that we have an opposition starved of information. Mr Berry might think it is a great hoot to say, "Let's not give them anything; let's keep them in the dark; let's not invite them to any functions; let's not give them any information about what is going on. That is our way". That is a really great laugh and it makes him feel very big in his boots. But if you have an opposition which is ineffective you have a government which is ineffective as well. The Government's success in many ways can be measured first.
Mr Kaine: In this case the ineffective government came first.
MR HUMPHRIES: Indeed. But in many ways a poorly operating opposition leads to a poorly operating government. If a Minister gets up in this place and says, "We have nothing good coming from this Opposition; they are always telling fibs; they are always misrepresenting the situation; they are chasing cheap headlines", he must in part accept responsibility for that situation because he, and his Department on his instructions, have said that we are not to be given any information. Naturally, on occasions, that will lead to mistakes.
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