Page 4228 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 29 November 1994
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MR MOORE (5.36): Madam Speaker, I would like to demonstrate to the Assembly that what we hear from Mrs Carnell, as reported in the paper, and what we hear from Mr Humphries now, is simply a stunt. Mr Humphries sounded quite convincing when he finished his speech by saying that he regrets it and that we do not ever want to hear that sort of thing any more. Mr Humphries, you were a member of the Estimates Committee that reported in 1993. They recommended, amongst other things:
consideration be given to the centralisation of the settlement of legal claims against the ACT Government, where an amount above a particular dollar limit is in issue ...
They also recommended:
the Social Policy Committee of the Assembly considers a reference to review the allocation and distribution of grants to community groups ...
This is exactly the same thing as you are describing now. Mr Humphries is leaving the chamber at this point, out of sheer embarrassment. He ought to be embarrassed. We all know - and he knows in his heart of hearts - how difficult it is sometimes to get a unanimous report from a committee. He knows in his heart of hearts - as Mrs Carnell also knows - that, when you get a unanimous report from a committee, it is much more likely to be effective; it is much more likely to have a major impact on change, which is what we have been trying to achieve. Another example, Madam Speaker - I have just chosen three together by opening the page - is:
the Government review its position with respect to the corporatisation of agencies as a matter of urgency in light of the recommendations of the Hilmer Report ...
It is the same language as Mr Humphries has just been quoting. And so it goes on, Madam Speaker. You have only to read through the recommendations of the previous report and you will see that they have the same tenor as the committee report that has been tabled and that is part of the discussion at this time.
Madam Speaker, what we have seen from a small number of members of the Liberal Party, who ought to be much more interested in the process, is simply an attempt at a stunt. Granted that this is the last session of the Second Assembly, one can understand their frustration; one can understand that they need to pull this sort of a stunt. The rest of us in the community ought not take it seriously. I would like to say, finally, Madam Speaker, in case you thought I was sitting down, that I believe that the committee has done an effective job, under a very difficult time constraint. All members of that committee deserve congratulations on this report.
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