Page 1706 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 18 May 1994
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The question of Mr Berry's staffing allocation is irrelevant. Whether this motion is passed or not will make no difference to the staffing allocation I have given to Mr Berry; nor will it make any difference to the staffing allocation of $207,000, and then some, I have given to Mrs Carnell; or to the fact that, if the Liberals were to divide their staffing allocation equally among themselves, they would get well in excess of $73,000 per head. That whole issue is utterly irrelevant. The motion is being put up simply to avoid the need to seek leave. It was put up on Ms Szuty's suggestion. It is put up to reflect the changed status of Mr Berry. He is no longer a Minister, and that is all there is to it.
MR BERRY (5.20): Madam Speaker, I will finish off the debate.
Mr Humphries: No; the question is: That the amendment be agreed to.
MR BERRY: No; I am finishing the debate.
MADAM SPEAKER: I will put the amendment and then the motion, Mr Humphries. He is entitled to finish the debate. Carry on, Mr Berry.
MR BERRY: Mr Stevenson was advised that I would be moving the motion - soon, I think I said to him. He said, "I will be down shortly". How long did it take him? He must have been partying or something, because it took him another hour to get here. So concerned about it was he that he just dawdled into the place. I assume that he had a look at the motion that was on his desk - by this time two motions - and that he understood them and was not concerned about them because he did not raise any issues with me. I assumed, therefore, that Mr Stevenson was happy. I never expected him to vote for us, because he is not going to break his record: 98 per cent of the time he votes against Labor. It is not about the issues and never has been.
Now we will get to these sleazy Liberals. One thing my mother would be laughing about today is that you lot are unhappy; I was not put on this earth to make you happy, and you are all grizzly. Let me run past you a few things about the duplicity of the Liberals over there and the behaviour of Mr Humphries in particular. This motion was in his hands before the Administration and Procedures Committee meeting on Tuesday evening. It is not something that was sprung on him. Mr Humphries, at that point, did not express any particular views about it.
Mr Humphries: I said that I would think about it, that I would have to get back to you about it.
MR BERRY: Hang on; let me finish the debate. He said that he would have to talk to his colleagues about the issue. Obviously he did not.
Mrs Grassby: Trevor knew nothing about it; he said so.
MR BERRY: Mr Kaine knew nothing about it. Mr Humphries, you misled me. You said that you were going to talk to them all, and you did not talk to Mr Kaine.
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