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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1995 Week 7 Hansard (18 October) . . Page.. 1787 ..

MS FOLLETT (continuing):

provide an option for whether people swear allegiance to the Queen. People can take their own view on that, but I do not think there should be an option of not swearing your allegiance to the people of the ACT. Clearly, I would say that Mr Humphries feels that way as well.

I think Mr Osborne's amendment would be better than nothing, but it does not go as far as I would like the Assembly to go in making it clear where our loyalties lie and where we see our duty. In my view, it is undeniably to the people we represent, the people who elected us to be here. I think that, if other parliaments were to move in the same direction, it would be applauded by the people they represent. I imagine that neither the constituents nor the parliamentarians have thought about the issue very closely. Frankly, if I were to elect to a parliament in another part of Australia somebody who I thought was under an obligation to swear allegiance to the King and to no-one else, I would be very doubtful about what they were going to do once they got there.

Mr Speaker, I commend this Bill to the Assembly. It is timely, and I think it is appropriate that the Assembly should truly reflect both our constitution as it exists under the self-government Act and the motivation that brings us all to this place.

MR MOORE: Mr Speaker, I seek leave to clarify an impression that I think Ms Follett inadvertently gave.

MR SPEAKER: Under standing order 47?

MR MOORE: No; because it is not my speech. I seek leave of the Assembly to clarify something about the role of the Governor-General in terms of the Assembly.

Mr Humphries: Use standing order 46.

MR MOORE: It has nothing to do with standing order 46. I am just seeking leave of the Assembly.

Leave granted.

MR MOORE: Mr Speaker, perhaps some could interpret Ms Follett as saying that the Governor-General, or the Queen's representative, had no role at all in the Assembly.

Ms Follett: No; I did not say that.

MR MOORE: No; I just seek to clarify it. I think some may interpret it in that way. It is important to note that section 16 of the self-government Act does provide a role in this Assembly for the Governor-General - to dissolve the Assembly under some circumstances. Perhaps I misheard or misunderstood, but I did want to make sure that that was clear on the record. If I have repeated something the Leader of the Opposition said, I apologise to members. I appreciate the opportunity to clarify that.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Bill agreed to.

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