Page 2336 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 16 September 1992
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The condition of the Administrative Building, where the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is situated, has been widely reported in the press. Also, the Minister, Senator Gareth Evans, and the general manager of Australian Estate Management, Richard Williams, have repeatedly given the facts surrounding the decision to build at York Park. Senator Evans said this on ABC radio on Tuesday, 25 August:
The Admin Building is the oldest of the group of Canberra Buildings going back to the 1940s which are coming right to the end of their working life. In occupational health and safety terms the present building is a disaster zone. There was a recent consultant's report, which was decisive in the Government's consideration of this, which said not only was there a number of features of the building creating life-threatening situations at the moment, but that within the next two to three years a number of key systems were facing complete breakdown - including electric wiring, air distribution and conditioning, hydraulics and the sewerage system.
Yet, Madam Speaker, on no occasion have the Federal Opposition, and now our own ACT Liberal Party members, given any thought to the working conditions of the officers of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Dr Hewson and his cronies opposite claim that DFAT does not deserve - - -
Mr De Domenico: You do not really believe what you are saying, do you?
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr De Domenico, please desist from interjecting.
MS ELLIS: Dr Hewson and his cronies opposite claim that DFAT does not deserve the new building. I would like to know what this means. Does not deserve what? Reasonable and safe working conditions? Surely all workers in this country deserve working accommodation of an acceptable occupational health and safety standard.
Mr De Domenico: That is what you get from reading somebody else's speech.
MS ELLIS: No, I am not, Mr De Domenico. It is my speech and I am very proud of it. I would be very proud if you could listen to it. Unfortunately for the Liberal Party, this includes the workers employed by the Australian Government. In fact, Madam Speaker, I was intrigued by Dr Hewson's use of the word "deserve"; so much so that I sought a true definition from the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. The definition is:
To merit by service, to become entitled to or - - -
Mr Humphries: I take a point of order, Madam Speaker. Ms Ellis is referring to Dr Hewson's comments about the York Park development. The motion before the Assembly talks about Liberal Party members of the Legislative Assembly. Dr Hewson does not have a seat in this Assembly. What Dr Hewson has said is completely irrelevant to this motion.
MADAM SPEAKER: I would think that if you allowed Ms - - -
Mr Kaine: It is relevant if somebody is being misrepresented.
MADAM SPEAKER: Order!
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