Page 2313 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 22 June 1994
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One of those two reasons, I understand, was the reason why we did not debate another Bill last week in this place. That Bill was all of one-and-a-half pages long and did something as incredibly important as allowing a plumber to pull away an electrical wire from a hot-water service, to link in with New South Wales. One of the reasons why we did not debate that Bill here last week was that members did not have time to look at it. Yet this Bill has 253 clauses. We have over 100 amendments to this so-called perfect Bill that everybody wants to pass today, and it affects 23,000 people in this community.
Mr Stevenson: And the rest.
MR DE DOMENICO: And the rest, as well. It affects at least 23,000 people, Mr Stevenson. We are told by the Chief Minister that the only reason why the Opposition and other members of this place are standing up and speaking as we are speaking now is that we want to filibuster. How wrong she is!
Ms Follett: I do not think so.
MR DE DOMENICO: You may think what you wish, Ms Follett. You are the one who is irresponsible. You have had since May 1992 to fix this thing properly, and you have not fixed it yet. If you have any doubts about that, go and speak to the Public Sector Union, and go and speak to all the other members of this community who believe that you are irresponsible. You are leading an irresponsible government that really does not give a damn about the benefits to the community or the public servants. All you are on about is trying to make sure that you get your way. Nothing is going to stop you from getting your way, and nothing will. The only reason why nothing will is that 10 beats seven every time. Well done; you can count. You are the one who is irresponsible, Ms Follett, not the Opposition. As hard as you try to camouflage that, it will not work. It will not work because the people out there know exactly what this is all about. This is all about irresponsible government. Mr Moore also talked about a Liberal approach. Once again he was right. This is a Liberal approach because it is a commonsense approach. We have a Bill with 253 clauses. Amendments were being delivered into members' letterboxes at 8.45 on Friday night, and promises made to deliver other amendments on Monday were not met. We have pieces of paper floating all over the place. Members are coming in at the last minute and putting in amendments.
Mr Connolly: Yes; some of them coming from your leader.
MR DE DOMENICO: I want to listen to you as well. Do not interject, because I will keep interjecting back at you. You probably have not read the Bill either.
Mr Connolly: Give us your angry look, Tony. Come on!
MR DE DOMENICO: No, it is not an angry look. It is a commonsense approach, Mr Connolly. You would not know what that means. This Bill has 253 clauses and there are more than 100 amendments, some of which are flying in from right, left and centre on the day that it is being dealt with. If you can stand up later and tell me that this is the way to pass good legislation, you do not deserve to be Attorney-General. Do not start interjecting. Keep reading your dictionary or your novel, and keep out of the debate unless you have something constructive to say.
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