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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 1 Hansard (20 February) . . Page.. 14 ..

MR BERRY (continuing):

Mr De Domenico over there smiles. He had a little role in it as well. Mr De Domenico was the one who sort of swaggered out and said, "Let us lock them out, Willie. We will lock them out if they disagree with us". Of course, their Federal colleagues rang up and said, "Get him out of the way". Mr De Domenico was locked up for a little while so that Mrs Carnell could have a chance to launch into the unions, and she did. For a brief moment Mr De Domenico re-entered the debate a little while ago, in time to call all the workers out there greedy. A conciliatory approach! "I am the Industrial Relations Minister", he swaggers around saying. "I am the industrial relations expert in this Government. Greedy is what they are. They are greedy trade unionists". That is what he describes them as. You are supposed to negotiate in industrial relations, not turn it into a great big melodrama in public relations terms. That is what you have tried to do.

Mrs Carnell has made the community suffer and, as we have heard from the Leader of the Opposition, has deliberately misled the community about the cost. The great rates hoax was what it was. Of course, it is very good, in public relations terms; real smart-alec stuff. But what does it do in terms of industrial relations? I will tell you what it does. It provokes more action, because it is another lie. If you keep using the media to spread your lies, you are never going to come to a position where you can settle the dispute.

Mrs Carnell: How would you pay for it? Come on, mate! How would you pay for it?

Mr De Domenico: Tell us how you would pay for it. Would you give them 9 per cent? How are you going to pay for it? Would you know? Would you know how to read a bottom line? Of course not. Would you do another VITAB?

MR SPEAKER: Order!

MR BERRY: It is like punching somebody full in the face and saying, "Come over here; I want to talk to you and give you a cuddle". As soon as they come over, you give them another one.

Mrs Carnell: What would you do?

Mr De Domenico: What would you do?

MR SPEAKER: Order!

MR BERRY: I would negotiate with them. I would treat them with a bit of respect. Of course, that is the difference between us. This Treasurer, as well as not adding up on the costs side of the ledgers, is failing to relate to the community the proper method of handling this industrial dispute. I have mentioned the fact that a great rates hoax was imposed on the Canberra community. The hundreds of thousands of dollars that this dispute has cost is all your responsibility, because you provoked it. Let us be realistic, Chief Minister. The majority of workers earn much less than what you said. I heard you allege that bus drivers earned $41,000 a year. A bus driver came on the radio and said, "No, I do not. The best I can earn is $38,000". She said, "No, no; you earn $41,000". The bus driver would not know! But she failed to refute some other person on the radio who said that it was $51,000. You are happy to see the lie spread.

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