Page 148 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 17 February 1993
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Mr De Domenico: Two.
MR LAMONT: He has made two more changes, other than the time that he was going to resign. What he has already done is misrepresent the position, and what you are doing by this motion, in my view, is misrepresenting your objectives as well. It is quite clear that under your policies you wish to have on the table and deny to working men and women in the Australian Capital Territory those basic conditions of service which they have negotiated and had independently arbitrated over the last number of decades.
I know that you want to return to better times, but 1893 is not the appropriate time, and that is what you wish us to return to - the antiquated, well-respected, in your view, master-and-servant relationship where the master, it does not matter at what level, has all of the say.
Mr Humphries: What about public floggings, David? Shall we have public floggings? Trial by ordeal? Burning witches at the stake?
MR LAMONT: I have no doubt that, in time, you will make public what you probably propose in private. The simple fact is that we have had in the last 24 hours - I think it was reported on early AM this morning - Dr Hewson mark 1 or 2, or whatever number he is now up to, talking about how he has had these independent consultants have a look at the programs he is putting. I think it was ACIL in Canberra he was referring to, which made an independent review of their policies and has supported them.
Mr Humphries: Foot in mouth.
MR LAMONT: Absolutely none. The people of Australia should come to understand the level of impartiality in relation to that question which that organisation may exhibit, given the fact that they are involved, and we have seen here in the last 12 months how that involvement has occurred.
We can talk about independent assessments of what they want to do. What will happen with this witch-hunt is that the Opposition, and particularly the Opposition spokesperson on industrial relations, will continue to pursue that policy which they have not had the temerity to get up and announce openly to everybody in the ACT and, indeed, in this country. They want an industrial relations system predicated on fear, predicated on a return to the last century master-and-servant relationship. They want to turn the clock back all right, but they want to turn it back 100 years. It is about time that was exposed, and the sentiments expressed by the Opposition spokesman, quite clearly enunciated in comments made in the Assembly this week, demonstrate exactly what they are on about and exactly what they are after. Despite the interjections and the jocularity and the throwaway lines, they must be exposed for that. They must not be allowed to dismantle a regime in this country, the conciliation and arbitration process, which our forefathers quite properly put into place and which should be maintained.
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