Page 3609 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 19 October 1993
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MR CORNWELL: I find it remarkable that the Attorney-General, the man who is supposed to uphold the law, should be accusing, without justification and without any evidence, primary producers of abusing the system of diesel fuel concessions. That is an outrageous statement, and I think it is absolutely appalling that it should come from the chief law officer of this Territory in relation to primary producers here in the ACT. I hope that Mr Connolly will have the decency to stand up later and withdraw that imputation against our ACT primary producers.
The fact is that this is a very petty victimisation of a small section of the community who, I suggest, along with every other person in the rural area, certainly of eastern Australia, are having a pretty hard time of it at the moment. It seems to me that this is a remarkably petty action to take. There are ways and means of dealing with the abuses, if such exist, in other areas; but there is nothing to suggest that the primary producers are contributing to these abuses. Might I suggest that if you do insist on imposing this extra charge upon them you may find that, not only are they not being as productive as they should be, but there may be greater implications because there will be a disincentive to use their equipment to carry out weed control, erosion programs and various environmental activities which they are carrying out at the moment. This Government, in relation at least to fewer than 250 people in this community, the rural producers, may be being penny wise but they are being extremely pound foolish in the long run.
Debate (on motion by Ms Szuty) adjourned.
COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS MEETING
Ministerial Statement and Paper
Debate resumed from 15 June 1993, on motion by Ms Follett:
That the Assembly takes note of the papers.
MRS CARNELL (Leader of the Opposition) (8.44): Madam Speaker, it is interesting that this has finally come up on the notice paper today, when it has been there for so long.
Mr Berry: Did you ask for it to come up earlier?
MRS CARNELL: No, I was not complaining about it, Mr Berry. I was just making the comment that it is surprising, taking into account that Mabo was the most important issue discussed by the Council of Australian Governments in June. Certainly its importance has diminished very little since that council meeting. The confusion and uncertainty has been added to by the Federal Labor Party's inept handling of the whole issue. I suppose that all we can do now is hope that Mr Keating's backdown of last night will bring some resolution to this particularly difficult issue.
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