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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1995 Week 9 Hansard (23 November) . . Page.. 2545 ..

MS TUCKER: Of course they are about this Bill. The Government chose to ignore us as regards ACTEW and has failed to deliver on a cornerstone of its election promise of open and consultative government. The Greens do not believe that it is okay; the Greens believe that the processes must be changed if we are to achieve good government in this place. We believe that an inclusive process can and will work well. The crossbenches and the Labor Party have a choice: Be ignored and have our rights as representatives of our constituents ignored, or stand up to the bully-boy/girl tactics of this Government and say that enough is enough.

Our decision to vote against this budget is not taken lightly; it is a question that we have debated both within our own offices here and within the party for many weeks. With the best available information before us, we cannot in all honesty say to our constituents that this budget is good enough to pass the Assembly. It is not, and this Government has not put the work in to make it so. Labor's failure to support the amendments put forward by the crossbenches is disappointing. If at any stage in the future we were to be asked to vote for the Labor Party to form a government, it would have to display rather than promise a much greater commitment to participative processes.

However, having said that, I wish to reiterate that this is the Liberals' budget; it is they who formulated it and they who can most easily change it. It is they who have refused to do so. This Government has abrogated its responsibilities to this place and to the people of Canberra. Therefore, as far as we are concerned, it should either amend the budget or resign.

Title agreed to.

Question put:

That this Bill be agreed to.

The Assembly voted -

AYES, 9	 	NOES, 8

Mrs Carnell	Mr Berry
Mr Cornwell	Mr Connolly
Mr De Domenico	Ms Follett
Mr Hird		Ms Horodny
Mr Humphries	Ms McRae
Mr Kaine	Ms Tucker
Mr Moore	Mr Whitecross
Mr Osborne	Mr Wood
Mr Stefaniak

Bill agreed to.

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