Page 653 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 23 March 1993
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We have demonstrated federally, and in the ACT, that we will provide responsible government. Just as Australian people gave a vote of faith to Paul Keating, and Labor federally, and rejected those economic rationalist policies of the Liberals, this Labor Government will continue to carry out the mandate that we have been given by the people of the Australian Capital Territory. We promised them that we would make this society better, and we continue to do that. Each time that we approach a piece of social justice legislation with sensitivity, we improve the lot of ordinary people.
Mr Wood: Incremental.
MR BERRY: And as Mr Wood interjects, it is incremental. We are building on all of the things that have been delivered by Labor. We will continue to do that. You can rely on us.
MR DE DOMENICO (4.04): Madam Speaker, I rise, first of all, to talk a little about what Mr Berry just had to say. There is no doubt that federally the Liberal Party got it wrong two weeks ago; for anyone to deny that would be not to look at reality. There is no doubt that one of the reasons the Federal coalition was rejected throughout Australia was that, perhaps for the first time ever, the conservative Australian community voted for what they perceived to be the more conservative party and rejected some of the things which they perceived to be radical in those policies. Having said that, there has been no rushing around of members of the Liberal Party saying, "Listen, we have it all wrong; let us change it all".
Mr Berry: The Federals have.
MR DE DOMENICO: No, they have not. I mention this only because Mr Berry, from time to time, waxes lyrical about what he thinks the Liberal Party might do, or might not do. I think the lesson that all political parties have learnt is, first of all, not to be too radical too quickly, because the community is not going to accept any political party that is too radical and too radical too quickly.
Mr Berry also referred to some of the propositions put forward by the ACT Liberal Party. I think he used the words "divisive plans and promises". But he did not talk about some of the things that this Government has done since it was elected to power - things which it did not even mention to the people of the ACT. Never let it be said that I would suggest things like this, Madam Speaker. Some of the issues which I am about to mention might be considered radical, and too radical too quickly, and done without much consultation. But I will leave it for the Assembly members to either agree or disagree. More importantly, I will leave it for the people of the ACT to decide because I believe, in regard to these issues, that they were not consulted; nor were they told prior to the election what this Government was going to do. So it is all about government which is too radical - be it Liberal or Labor government.
One thing that I would like to say is that, in my opinion, this ACT Labor Government will see that it has done things that are too radical for the community as a whole to accept. We will continue to mention over and over again that there was no consultation with the community, for example, about banning exotic animals from circuses. Some people might think that is not an issue.
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