Page 4608 - Week 15 - Wednesday, 15 December 1993
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It is all right for Mr De Domenico to pull a sharp little stunt on this issue, but he could have come to me and said, "How far have you gone with the legislation?". I would have told him that we were on the verge of introducing the thing and there was no need to stir - - -
Mr De Domenico: You need to tell the Assembly. It was the Assembly you made promises to, and the Estimates Committee.
MR BERRY: No; it was expected that the debate would occur next year.
Mr De Domenico: No; you read carefully what you said at the Estimates Committee.
MR BERRY: You have a look in here. It was expected that the debate would occur early next year, and it is still expected that that will be the case. So do not come in here spinning that web of deception. You might be trained by Mr Humphries to spin the web of deception, but you are not going to get away with it.
Mr De Domenico: You do what you promised, and get off your hands. You are incompetent, and everybody in this house knows that you are incompetent.
MADAM SPEAKER: Order! Mr De Domenico, you have had your turn.
MR BERRY: You know what was promised. We always said that we were going to try to get the legislation into this chamber in the early part of next year and that as soon as the legislation was available I would make the necessary moves under the Act. Do not try to mislead the community or mislead this chamber. It will not work because you are just not up to it. Mr De Domenico, you have been caught out again. It is just a stunt. Orderly action is under way - not back-of-the-envelope amendments - to deal with the issues and to keep faith with the players, that is, the workers in the industry who benefit from this scheme and the employers in the industry, and to ensure that the issues that have been raised by the actuary and so on are recognised.
It is very clear that this issue had to be addressed in consultation with the players. As Mr De Domenico will recall, when the long service leave provisions were put in place in the Territory it was a controversial issue. The portability of those entitlements was controversial, and it did not happen without a great big blue, a heap of disturbance out there in the community. All of the workers in the industry are aware of that. Quite frankly, they find it hard to trust anybody on this issue, and I do not blame them, given the history of it. What I am saying to them is that we will alter the arrangements for collection of the levy and we will change - - -
Mr De Domenico: But you have been saying that for a year.
MR BERRY: And it will happen, as I said it would happen. As usual, when we promise, we deliver. This will be delivered, but I can tell you that it will be delivered stunt-free. Your stunt will not count.
Debate (on motion by Mr Wood) adjourned.
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