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Let me give you some ideas as to why I think, in this Assembly in particular, Tuesday nights are so important. This is a new Assembly. Let me remind you with great passion on my part, because it makes a big difference to my life and would have made a huge difference in the last three years, that this is the first Assembly where we have no-one who is trying to discredit our work; no-one who does not want to be here. We are all here because we passionately believe that this Assembly is important for the people of the ACT. We are not sitting here trying to abolish it, and it makes a huge difference to the way that we work. It is the first Assembly where we can say with pride, “Come and look at these 17 people. These are genuine representatives of the people of the ACT, and they really care”.

To close off Tuesday nights now is far too premature. We have new people, new ideas, new enthusiasms to display. To follow Mr Moore's suggestion to have a trial and shut down now is the wrong way round. Why do we not do it the other way? Let me make a proposal, and I will go on with this in detail a bit later. Let me come back to one very essential point about this building which again I hold with great passion, and did, on your behalf. This building was specifically designed, in consultation with every member of the Assembly, to be open and welcoming. There is good reason why we members sit on the ground level. We are in a direct line with the people. That is why this building was designed this way. It was specifically and very carefully designed, in consultation with all 16 of you - there was one person I did not spend too much time talking to about it because all he wanted to do was shut the doors - to be welcoming, to be open and to say every time a member of the public walks in, “You are welcome here. This is your building”.

From long experience of speaking to groups, I know that people do want to come and they are interested in our work. But, as you all know, you visit a community group, they make an arrangement that at their next month's meeting they will talk about coming to visit the Assembly, something happens, and for one reason or another their Tuesday night excursion has to be postponed. If we cut out Tuesday night sittings, a whole lot of groups that I know, that I have met in the past and that have said, “Yes, we will come one night. That is a good idea, Roberta”, no longer have that option. They cannot flex off in the middle of the day just to come and watch the Assembly at work, for heaven's sake. They build it in as a social activity - and they enjoy it, what is more. I believe that every person in this chamber now does want the people to come in and does want people to hear what they do and say; but we all know that people will not come of their own accord. We need a new approach. If we are not proud of ourselves, if we do not promote ourselves, if we do not actively invite people in to see us, to see our facilities and to share our hospitality, then we will not change community perception. I know that we are planning to broadcast proceedings, but that cannot replace the quality of friendship that we can offer by inviting people into our place.

This is what I would like to do. This is a suggestion that will turn around the other way Michael's idea of putting a hold on things for three months. To deal with this proposal, I think that we should strengthen the role of our Speaker. As Speaker, I saw that it was my responsibility, as your representative, to promote the workings of the Assembly and to invite people in. I believe that you have given the Speaker that responsibility.

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