Page 3619 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 19 October 1993
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MS FOLLETT: Again I say that members opposite are quite clearly extremely discomfited by this sort of debate, and well they might be. I believe that an opposition on an issue such as Mabo has a duty to the country to attempt to reach a national solution and not to use that issue in a divisive manner, in a manner that is designed to cause the greatest amount of uncertainty and upset to a range of groups within the community, and that has been the Federal coalition's role throughout.
It has also, although in a much smaller way, been Mr Humphries's role. At the outset on the Mabo issue Mr Humphries sought to cast the seeds of doubt. He also sought to say to the Canberra community, "What about your backyard?". That was precisely Mr Humphries's intention in approaching the issue in the way he did. What Mr Humphries has failed to say in his comments is the truth about what I said. I said from the very outset, right from day one, as Mr Humphries undoubtedly knows, that there is only the tiniest likelihood of any Mabo-style claim over the ACT succeeding. I also said - and Mr Humphries will remember that I said this - right from the outset that whatever action was necessary to secure ACT leases would be taken. He very conveniently forgot to mention that and has therefore conveyed a very incorrect and very improper impression of my approach on this issue. The Liberals' stance on Mabo has been to try to cause division, to try to cause confusion, to try to cause uncertainty. It is a disgraceful position, and I think history will judge them very harshly. The Federal coalition stands condemned for their actions on this issue.
I can say to members that the Prime Minister has sought the views of the ACT on the Mabo legislation and he has also sought the views of other jurisdictions, of industry groups, and of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups. I was delighted to see on the television news this evening the Aboriginal groups in particular expressing their satisfaction with the Prime Minister's actions, their satisfaction with the view he is taking. The proposal from the Federal Government is very detailed and the ACT has still to consider its position, so I will not be commenting on that legislation in any detail this evening. I would like to say that the Commonwealth's desire to put in place a fair system that properly recognises native title - something some Liberal States have a problem with - and provides full security for people who hold grants of interest in land provided by governments in the past is very welcome, and it is certainly an approach that is supported by this Government.
I would like to raise a couple of other issues. Mr Connolly has addressed in eloquent detail the very unfortunate Liberal cant we heard from Mrs Carnell about corporatisation, privatisation, competition, and all the rest of the buzz words we get from the Liberals. What the Liberals will never acknowledge is that in the ACT some of our enterprises, such as ACTION buses, ACTEW and ACTTAB, are performing better and more efficiently than they ever have. They are not corporatised and they will not be. I know that the Liberals wish to sell them off. They have made that quite clear.
Mr Berry: No; only the profitable bits.
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