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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1995 Week 8 Hansard (26 October) . . Page.. 2133 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

Mr Speaker, there must come a point when we have to say to the Assembly, "For goodness sake, we were elected to govern. Please give us the opportunity of doing that". I am not going to pull this sort of line all the time, but this motion in the last few hours of the October sittings of the Assembly really is too much. Changing the way in which governments negotiate wage agreements would have a massive impact on the way in which a budget is framed and is made to operate. It is unrealistic to ask the Government suddenly, as a result of a motion thrown up at the last minute on a sitting Thursday, to change its entire industrial relations strategy. It is not fair.

Ms Tucker and her colleagues have not taken the opportunity of coming to discuss with us their concerns about our industrial relations policy. If you are concerned, why did you not come and speak to us about it? You berate us for not being consultative about these things. Where was your attempt to talk to us about this matter, Ms Tucker?

Ms McRae: Who could talk to you? What a joke!

MR HUMPHRIES: We do lots of talking with other parties, including your own, Ms McRae.

Ms McRae: I do not get too much talking from your party on any of your issues.

MR HUMPHRIES: You obviously bury your head in the sand or do something different. We are available to talk about these things. We have never turned anyone away, Mr Speaker, and I think it is about time we had some consultation on these things before they go ahead.

MRS CARNELL (Chief Minister) (4.26): Mr Speaker, we have heard that earlier this week some members of this Assembly were briefed by the Trades and Labour Council about the TLC's position. We are very happy to provide a similar briefing on our position. I think it would be very unwise for this Assembly to debate an issue of this importance with only one side of the story. We have made briefings available on Fridays, and of course any other times, to all - - -

Ms McRae: Not to us.

MRS CARNELL: If you want them, you can have them. I have already said that.

Ms McRae: You have never notified us of them. Do not talk nonsense.

MRS CARNELL: You have to notify us. That is the way it works. We have said to the Greens, Mr Moore and Mr Osborne that, on any Friday morning that they choose to have a briefing on anything, they can have one. I am actually happy to - - -

Ms McRae: "Come to a briefing, but we will not tell you where it is".

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