Page 1364 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 12 May 1993
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That is the problem that the Liberal Party has with the Labor form of consultation. You make up your mind before you start and then attempt to convince the community later. That is not the way the Liberal Party believes this should be done. The Liberal Party and, from what I understood this morning, the Labor Party federally understand that parliamentary reform is a particularly important thing to become involved with; to look at ways that we could do what we do in this place better. I understand that Dr Blewett is doing a similar job on the hill. If it is wrong for us to look at ways of better reflecting the community, I really think that we are all here on false pretences, quite honestly. If we, as a Liberal Party, can find ways for the ACT Assembly to better represent the community, then I will be exceedingly proud to do so.
This shows quite categorically that the Labor Party is just not in touch with the community in the ACT. If the Labor Party does not know that out there in the community there is still a lot of disquiet with this Assembly, with some of our procedures, then again it is not in touch with the community. If we do not even want to reflect the views of the community, then quite honestly none of us should be here and we should rethink the whole thing. We must, as an Assembly, reflect the views of the community - their attitudes, their visions, and what they want for this place. That is the Liberal approach.
There are many questions that need to be answered. Mr Kaine was quite right this morning when he made the comment that, if we are looking at a better way to do it in the ACT, then we have to look at a lot of problems such as ministerial meetings and the like; such as how we would organise ourselves in a way that is not the same as anywhere else in Australia. We have a city-state here. We are not the same as New South Wales or Queensland or anywhere else. We are not the same as Brisbane or Newcastle or Queanbeyan either. So it seems quite logical to me, and also to a very large number of other Liberals and a large number of other Canberrans, that we should not just accept the model that we currently have for ever and ever as if it were somehow sacrosanct. That is just not an acceptable approach.
The Liberal Party also totally believe that it is essential for the people of the ACT to continue to have policy control over health, education and the police, so that is just another furphy that the Labor Party has brought up. We have not changed our track at all. This is exactly what we have said. I am quite confident that if Ms Follett could have found one quote of mine that said anything else she would have quoted it and quoted it. The fact is that it has never happened. We have never, ever, said anything else. What we have said is that we are willing to listen and that we have an appropriate way to do that.
Mr Stevenson's comments - I agree with Ms Follett - totally lack background and lack information. What the Liberal Party is saying is that we need, first of all, to find out what the community want in a sensible, a professional, a structured way. Then we have to look at the options, to look at ways of being able to reflect those needs and wants into sensible policy, hopefully under current legislation. Mr Stevenson's motion does none of that. Mr Stevenson's motion is glib. I accept Ms Follett's comments that it is just a vote catcher. Probably he brought it up today, and brought it up again this afternoon, because he did not like the Liberal Party talking about his issue, his baby.
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