Page 444 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 2 March 1994
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Mr Berry also continues to suggest that the Liberal Party is in some strange matrimonial deal with the tobacco industry over the smoking situation. Let us tell the truth about that. What Mr Berry literally said was that extraction systems are okay in casinos, but the same extraction system is no good in a restaurant. That was the basis of Mr Berry's comment - that the Liberal Party believed in extraction systems. Mr Berry obviously believes in extraction systems as well. What he is saying literally is, "It is okay to smoke in casinos and clubs and bars, but not okay to smoke in restaurants, because, quite obviously, the ability to contract cancer in restaurants is higher than the ability to contract cancer in bars". That is the logic of Mr Berry's arguments. For Mr Berry to come in here and talk about people getting into bed with tobacco companies is sheer nonsense.
Madam Speaker, this speech from the Chief Minister is as shallow as the Government's actions over the past two-and-a-half years. We continue to hear rhetoric about examining and doing all sorts of things. As Mr Kaine quite aptly said, the Chief Minister ought to have been in the air force as she would make the biggest gunner of all time. She is always gonna do something. It is about time she did.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
ADJOURNMENT
Motion (by Ms Follett) proposed:
That the Assembly do now adjourn.
Adoption Legislation
MR HUMPHRIES (5.32): Madam Speaker, it is a year since the Assembly passed adoption legislation making an important change to the law in this area, and I want to bring to the attention of the house a matter which I think is fairly significant. There was much controversy at the time the legislation was passed and there was great concern about its impact on different sectors of the community. I think all of us who were instrumental in passing that legislation acknowledged that this new regime of freer access to information would impact differently on different people in this community. There was disagreement about how damaging that process would be to individuals. There was also disagreement about the consequences of changing the law after people had adopted children under different rules.
Madam Speaker, a letter has been sent to me by a Canberra couple to relate their experience under this new legislation. That experience is not a happy one. They have authorised me to read to the Assembly what that letter says, and I would like to do so. In fact, it is a copy of a letter sent to the Attorney-General, Mr Connolly. It says:
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