Page 412 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 24 February 1993
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Think of the precedent you are setting. We have a private members Bill which has been brought forward in good faith by this Opposition and put before the Assembly. Opposition Bills, like everybody else's Bills, have the right to lie on the table until they can be digested and dealt with properly by this Assembly. In this Government's terms, that means in seven days; in most people's terms, it means longer than that. But if we take the standard we set last night of seven days, why should not this Bill sit on the table for that seven days? The urgency motion requires the Bill to be dealt with today. Why today? What is the urgency today? What would change if this Bill were dealt with in three weeks' time, when we resume in March? What would change? Absolutely nothing. For that reason, the precedent you set today will come back to haunt you, if you vote for this Bill to be debated today.
Mr Moore has shown his true colours. He does not really care what is happening here. I do not think he cares that people see him more and more as Labor's lap-boy, Labor's stooge, a little poodle running along beside the Labor Party, doing its bidding, bringing forward its Bills for it, doing deals for it, making tawdry little arrangements with it behind closed doors. The fact is that people will know, Mr Moore, because they will look at your voting record. Your voting record shows very clearly that you have a lot more in common with those people over there than with the express views of the majority of the community in a whole series of areas such as occupational health and safety, where the community which is most affected by it, that is business in this town, has made it very clear that they think it is the wrong decision. Madam Speaker, we are under no illusion about what is happening here today. It is Mr Moore fulfilling his obligations to the Labor Party. He should be ashamed about it. We should all be ashamed about this motion.
MADAM SPEAKER: The time for this debate has expired.
Question put:
That this Bill be considered an urgent Bill.
The Assembly voted -
AYES, 10 NOES, 7
Mr Berry Mrs Carnell
Mr Connolly Mr Cornwell
Ms Ellis Mr De Domenico
Ms Follett Mr Humphries
Mrs Grassby Mr Kaine
Mr Lamont Mr Stevenson
Ms McRae Mr Westende
Mr Moore
Ms Szuty
Mr Wood
Question so resolved in the affirmative.
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