Page 4052 - Week 13 - Thursday, 10 November 1994
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Madam Speaker, I must say that these people are clutching at straws with the supposed disadvantages of CIR. There are some very weak arguments here. This is an interesting statement. There is this proposition:
CIR is a threat to political institutions because it bypasses the safeguards and limits built into -
listen to this -
the legislative procedure.
What are the safeguards and limits built into the legislative procedure in the ACT? The upper house? The vice-regal reserve powers? The power of the Chief Minister to take two weeks to sign a Bill into law? Perhaps what they mean is the Independent members of this place. Maybe they are the constitutional safeguards that are referred to. There are not any limits in the ACT. We have a system without checks and balances, substantially at least. In any case, CIR, as it is presently drafted by Mrs Carnell, does not say that we bypass the Assembly. On the contrary, it says that we put things up, through the citizens, to the Assembly. That is what Mrs Carnell says at the present time.
Madam Speaker, this is quite extraordinary. The fact of the matter is that Mr Moore, in particular, has done a gigantic backflip. Let me quote from the Canberra Times of 5 August 1991 under the heading "Moore wants school, hospital closures put to referendum at next ACT election". He talked about Dennis and the League of Rights and about voters' veto. It was not a good idea, he said. The article continued:
Citizens' initiated referenda is much more positive and I think it is also interesting to observe the results of the idea in other parts of Australia.
No doubt he was referring to Mr Ted Mack's useful experience with CIR in North Sydney.
Mrs Grassby: Non-binding.
MR HUMPHRIES: Non-binding. Madam Speaker, what about this? Mr Moore said on 5 August 1991:
I can't see how anybody could oppose the idea.
Mr Moore, I cannot see how anyone could oppose the idea either. This report shows that the people of the Territory do not believe that the majority in this Assembly trust them, the people of the Territory. That is a great pity, because CIR places trust in the people. I believe that that is where it belongs.
Sitting suspended from 12.32 to 2.30 pmb
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