Page 1799 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 15 June 1993
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MR HUMPHRIES: It is not just a question of having stirred it up. Your Labor colleagues, Mr Connolly, have warned about the dangers of excessive claims in this process, and we have done exactly the same thing. Labor colleagues of yours have also urged State governments to delineate the extent of debate in this matter, and perhaps your Government ought to do the same thing. There may be a need for the ACT to go it alone if we cannot establish - - -
Ms Follett: We cannot.
Mr Connolly: We administer Commonwealth land.
MR HUMPHRIES: We can certainly go it alone in the sense of being independent of any approach worked out with the States.
Mr Connolly: We must cooperate with the Commonwealth.
MR HUMPHRIES: Just listen and you will find out. It may be that we have to do so in conjunction with the Commonwealth Government, which has considerable interest in the ACT and considerable control over the long-term land use of the ACT; but an agreement between the ACT and Commonwealth governments would certainly, in my humble opinion, be sufficient to resolve this matter in respect of the ACT. I suggest to the Chief Minister that if she cannot get a national position on Mabo she should think about getting a bilateral position with the Commonwealth Government on Mabo.
Ms Follett: That is what I have said. I have written to the Prime Minister about it. Listen to what I say.
MR HUMPHRIES: I did. I made reference to that before, Madam Speaker. I am saying that in many respects the Chief Minister has taken, on some questions, the right approach. I have already commended her several times in this speech on the things that she has got right; but I am also saying that there are some areas where she ought to be considering further action, and I suggest that those areas I have referred to in my speech, if she would care to peruse them, have not been sufficiently ventilated up until now.
I propose not to make any comments on the other issues which have been raised in the Chief Minister's statement, other than to say that I do hope that the issues that have been put forward here will not remain a matter of uncertainty for much longer. They can be settled and they should be settled in the interests of the process of reconciliation to which both sides of this house have made reference in the course of this debate today. It must occur in an environment where there is a certain amount of understanding on both sides about where the debate is heading. At present the debate is completely wide open and it results, I think, in considerable fear in our community.
Debate (on motion by Mrs Carnell) adjourned.
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