Page 1381 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 12 May 1993
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Mr Berry: No, he does not. Do not take any notice of him.
MR CORNWELL: Just a moment. Apart from that being somewhat incongruous, I admit, Mr Berry, Mr Stevenson is the Abolish Self Government spokesman and sole representative, which would make me question the real support for his views out there in the community. Mr Stevenson, if you had the support you claim in putting forward even this motion, I suggest that you would have more representatives of your party in this Assembly right now. However, you have not gone all the way. You have cut back, have you not? You are not saying that we should abolish the Assembly completely, because I suspect that you know that that cannot be done. I suspect that you realise that the people of the ACT would not stand for it, that they do want some form of representation. But I suggest to you, Mr Stevenson, that they do not want a city council and a lord mayor.
Mr Stevenson: That is not correct.
MR CORNWELL: I see. I will not rely on the Dennis poll; I will rely upon the one definitive poll that has been held on this issue, and that is the self-government referendum in 1978. What was the percentage? First of all, 63 per cent of the population voted for proposal C, which was:
That the present arrangements for governing the ACT should continue for the time being.
That was a very crucial tail to that question - "for the time being". In 1978, we were happy with the Commonwealth. The fact is that it was after that that I believe, and many others do too, the situation in this place started to deteriorate. I think it also became apparent, even to the Commonwealth, that they could not continue to administer this Territory in the way they had in the past. However, that was the majority: 63 per cent said that the present arrangements for governing the ACT should continue for the time being. A further 30 per cent voted for proposal A, which was:
That self-government be granted to the ACT by delegating functions to a locally elected legislative body in the stages set out in the statement, published in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette of 24 October 1978 ...
Finally, 6 per cent voted for proposal B, which was:
That a locally elected legislative body be established in the ACT with local government-type legislative and executive functions.
Six per cent of the people voted for that proposal.
Mr Stevenson: That is exactly what it was then.
MR CORNWELL: Are you trying to tell me and the rest of this Assembly, Mr Stevenson, that in the interim another 44 per cent of the electorate have swung over to that idea of municipal-type government?
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