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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 2 Hansard (28 February) . . Page.. 447 ..

MR DE DOMENICO (Minister for Urban Services and Minister for Industrial Relations) (5.27): When Mr Berry stands up and says things like that, he should not be allowed to go unanswered. I do not want to bore people in the gallery and keep them longer. I notice that Mr Berry is going to walk out, and so he should. He should hang his head in shame. What Mr Berry said today was a whole heap of nonsense. What he said about what Mr Howard said was totally untrue, but it is not unusual for Mr Berry to come in and say that something is true when he knows that it is not true. It is a pity that Mr Berry used this chamber this afternoon in the way he did, to talk about a Federal election; but, as he has, his comments need to be answered.

Had Mr Berry listened to what Mr Howard has said over and over again, he would know that he talked about safety nets, about the fact that no worker would be less well off under a Howard government. I note that Mr Berry also mentioned a Liberal government. (Quorum formed) Before Mr Berry called a quorum I was alluding to the fact that what Mr Berry said in his diatribe about industrial relations was not true. To repeat myself, because there was no-one here listening to me the first time, it is not unusual for Mr Berry, from time to time, to say things that are not true, especially when his ideology takes over from his commonsense, which is usually all the time. Mr Berry then decided that, because no-one had listened to him, he wanted people to come and listen to what I had to say, and I am quite pleased that people are here listening to me.

The approach to industrial relations of Kate Carnell and this Government and John Howard and a Federal Liberal government is exactly the same approach taken by Mr Keating and, of recent times, Ms Lundy. Ms Lundy today said, "What this is all about is a 3 per cent fully budget-funded increase, and on top of that a 6 per cent enterprise bargaining productivity increase". That is exactly what Mr Keating said. It seems that the only person in this Assembly who does not believe in modern industrial relations practice is Mr Berry. I think Mr Berry believes in what happens in Havana, and he may believe in what happens in Beijing; but he is not across the modern approach to industrial relations. Mr Berry comes into this house and accuses every Liberal of hitting workers over the head with a big stick. Of course, that is not true.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

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