Page 3970 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 23 November 1993
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
I guess that my bottom line, Madam Speaker, is that if Mr Moore had been here during this entire debate he would, before the debate concludes, be seeking to change his motion so that it is not a censure motion against Mr Wood and the Treasurer but a censure motion against the Government. Then he would be putting his money where his mouth is, because that is what he really means. He just did not want to do it that way.
Mr Connolly: Why do you not amend it?
Mr Lamont: Amend it.
MR KAINE: I am suggesting that Mr Moore look at his own motion. The Government has made his case for him. His motion should have been a censure motion or a no-confidence motion against the Government. He has plenty of opportunity to come back now and revise his motion. Let us vote on the real issue here, which is not the incompetence of the Minister for Education; it is the incompetence of the Government, and I would like to see a motion that says that. I invite Mr Moore to rephrase it. He would have my entire support.
MR BERRY (Minister for Health, Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Sport) (5.09): What a parcel of hypocrisy this whole mess is. First of all, we had Mr Moore's motion which, of course, we had expected for some time because Mr Moore had not done too well out of the education debate. I must say that I felt a little bit of sympathy for Mr Moore as I saw him slipping. There was a bit of a dust-up. Like most Independents, as soon as there is any sign of a dust-up Mr Moore is in it. Mr Moore was slipping a bit, but I heard Mr Wood's stinging rebuke of Mr Moore and I thought to myself at the time, "By gee, Bill, you are being a bit tough". Of course, Mr Moore has been friendly on some occasions; but Mr Wood was right, nevertheless. That was the most important part. He was right. He said it with passion and I think he saved the day with his very strong debating talents. One of the most important issues that Mr Wood touched on was the issue of Michael Moore's learn-to-drive classes. This was where Mr Moore - - -
Mrs Carnell: What? This is important when we are talking about the quality of public education in the ACT?
MR BERRY: Mr Moore was teaching two or three kids in a - - -
Mr Moore: I take a point of order, Madam Speaker. I have already drawn attention to the fact that that was not the case. It would be inappropriate for this Minister to mislead the Assembly on something that he does not know.
MADAM SPEAKER: Continue, Mr Berry.
MR BERRY: When it comes down to it, we have, as Mr Kaine would agree, a requirement in front of us. We have to manage the budget with the money we have. Mr Wood has the responsibility of managing that sensibly, and he does it very well. If we have one of these luxury classes like Mr Moore's driving class, Mr Wood has the responsibility to make a judgment whether, in the circumstances, that is appropriate within the school system. You can use that as
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .