Page 4759 - Week 15 - Thursday, 16 December 1993
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In view of the foregoing reservations, Madam Speaker, it is difficult to accurately predict Mr Wood's future. He does not lack ability or integrity. However, his poor choice of playmates, his finding himself in bad company, ultimately might be to his detriment. The alternative, of course, if he succumbs to peer pressure, will be the loss of independence and the refreshing non-aligned approach he brings to his Labor. Hopefully, 1994 will see these doubts about Mr Wood settled. Meantime, recognising the problems I have outlined, I have awarded four points for his capacity to survive to date, and an additional point as a bonus for the effort this survival obviously takes.
MR BERRY (Minister for Health, Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Sport) (4.37): This year will be recognised as the year that those opposite moved to take away choice from Canberra electors. Eighty-four per cent of the electorate here in the ACT support above-the-line voting. In New South Wales it is 90-odd per cent. So it is popular. They want it, and this is the government that intends to give it to them. We said that we would deliver the referendum result, and, as always with our promises, we deliver. We will deliver them the referendum result. We will deliver them more. We are providing them with another option. There is more for the people of the ACT. These people opposite are setting out to take it away from them. Mr Moore and his crowd are very nervous about their position because they know that they are coming unstuck. Those people opposite want to take away from the people of the ACT the right to use a less complex system. They want to make sure that they have a more complex system. That is what they are setting out to do. They do not want the community to have the easy way out.
This year has been a very good year for Labor in many ways. Most importantly, we have been able to expose the weaknesses of the new Leader of the Opposition. She is absolutely hopeless; she is not fit to govern. We have shown up throughout the community the divisions amongst them. We know about those divisions. Will Mrs Carnell survive? I hope so. I hope so, because we need her. We need her badly. All of you are very nervous because you know how popular is the Government's decision in relation to the Electoral (Amendment) Bill. The people out there want an easy way of voting and they are going to take it.
Anyone who had a close look at our performance in 1993 could only be impressed. We would not expect the Liberals opposite to be impressed. They are not meant to be impressed. In fact, they are not even meant to be happy.
Mrs Carnell: But we are.
Mr De Domenico: We are. We are delighted.
MR BERRY: Well, it would be only because you have been drinking something - it is not natural happiness - or you have wind. You are not meant to be happy. There has been a great range of progress and reform introduced throughout the whole of government, as outlined by the Chief Minister, but in relation to health, sport and industrial relations there have been many advances as well.
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