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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 1 Hansard (20 February) . . Page.. 4 ..

MS FOLLETT (continuing):

On a lighter note: I think he could start by dropping the practice of wearing silly wigs and gowns. I would regard it as a sign of even greater things to come if we could somehow abandon what I believe is a totally inappropriate method of presentation by the judiciary, and one which separates them from the rest of the community and marks them as a self-proclaimed elite. In my view, they should be portraying themselves and acting as the servants of our community, just as this parliament is another servant of the community. If anyone can take on those entrenched and somewhat stuffy traditions, Mr Connolly is the man for the job. I congratulate Mr Humphries on making the appointment. I think it was a very good one. On the Labor side, of course, we are very sorry to be losing a great colleague. But I think that the community will be the richer for having Mr Connolly serving on the judiciary.

MR BERRY: Mr Speaker, I seek leave for the Leader of the Opposition to move a motion of censure of the Carnell Government.

Leave granted.

MS FOLLETT (Leader of the Opposition) (10.45): Mr Speaker, I move:

That this Assembly:

(1) notes that the Government had failed to negotiate a new enterprise bargain by the time the previous bargain expired on 31 December 1995;

(2) deplores the confrontationist approach taken by the Carnell Government in the current industrial relations dispute; and

(3) censures the Chief Minister and the Minister for Industrial Relations for their failure to negotiate in good faith in an attempt to come to a settlement of this dispute.

I am moving this motion today to give this Assembly an opportunity to express to the Government our dissatisfaction with their handling of the current industrial dispute. It is to make clear to the Government that this is a very serious issue and is regarded as a very serious issue by this Assembly. It is to make clear to the Government that this issue is having a serious and adverse impact on our community.

I think that we need to make it very clear to the Chief Minister that this is not some sort of a PR exercise. It is not a dress rehearsal; it is not an election stunt. It is a very real issue which she, as the head of the Government, has the responsibility to deal with in a considered and calm manner. It is aimed at obtaining a resolution, not a further confrontation. To date, we have seen no sign whatsoever from Mrs Carnell, or from her Industrial Relations Minister, that resolution is what they are after. We have seen

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