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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 4 Hansard (18 April) . . Page.. 1070 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

It can reject the particular proposal; it can legislate against the proposal or the Government's approach; it can censure the Government, as it has done on a few occasions recently; it can move a motion of no confidence in a Minister; it can move a motion of no confidence in the Government as a whole. All those things are open to the Assembly to do, and it is perfectly entitled to do them.

What this motion calls for, in the second half, though, goes, in a sense, a step further - something that we have never done before. It says:

... the Minister for Education be required -

that is, the Minister must do it -

to report back to this Assembly -

fair enough -

with a revised response ...

What the Assembly is saying to the Government is, "You must change your mind; you must take a different view to the one that you have taken". The Assembly is entitled to censure our point of view or throw us out of office for our point of view; but it is not, I would submit, entitled to force us to change our mind.

Ms McRae: Nine is more than eight, I am afraid; it is true. Change your mind. That is what it is all about. Get real.

Mr De Domenico: Don't be smart.

MR SPEAKER: Order! Mr Humphries has the floor.

MR HUMPHRIES: Can I put to you a parallel situation. Suppose a member of this place like a former member, Mr Stevenson, had expressed an outrageous point of view, as he often did, in this place. Would the Assembly have been able to pass a motion requiring Mr Stevenson to change his view and to make a different response on the floor of this place?

Mr Moore: It says "revise the response", Gary. You might change the wording, but that means that - - -

MR HUMPHRIES: Well, no, I do not believe that we could. I do not think it is open to the Assembly to do that.

Ms McRae: It is not the point. It is your report; you change it.

MR SPEAKER: Order! Would you stop interjecting, Ms McRae.

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