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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 7 Hansard (19 June) . . Page.. 1922 ..

Mr Humphries: But they are. They meet all the time.

MR BERRY: If you look at the public presentation of it, it looks as though you cannot stand to be in the same room as each other. I have to say that most of that would have to come again - - -

Mr Humphries: That is a perception you are creating.

MR BERRY: It is a perception, I agree, because I see only the media's presentation of the issues. Mr Stefaniak's niggling at the Australian Education Union has done nothing to profit the education system. In fact, each day he happens to be associated with the education portfolio, I fear that our education system is being set back.

I am sure that Ms McRae will say more about that in due course, but I would like to say to the Minister that it is the formula for a solution that you have to find, not the victory. If you persist in your pursuit of the victory, you will never resolve the situation. Even if some or all of the bans were lifted and you had a victory, you would still end up with a great deal of dissatisfaction within the education system and that would flow over into the education of young people in the Territory.

Mrs Carnell: What would you do - just give them 12 per cent?

MR BERRY: Mrs Carnell conveniently asks me the question, "What would you do?". I would not have handled it the way you did.

Mrs Carnell: Yes, but tell us what you would do.

MR BERRY: You can rest assured that I would not have handled it the way you did, and I would not have been out there boring it up trade unionists at every opportunity. That is principally the problem. Mrs Carnell created - - -

Mr Humphries: What would you do, Wayne? Tell us.

MR BERRY: I can assure you that I would have worked very hard to develop a consultative environment which encouraged the development of a formula for a solution to the problem, not taken every opportunity to provoke anti-union feeling out there in the community or to use the media to the fullest extent possible to bore it up trade unionists and their unions. If you think you are ever going to settle a dispute like that, take Mrs Carnell's example. She has thrown $5m of taxpayers' money down the gurgler. That and all her failed attempts in the Industrial Relations Commission should demonstrate to you how not to do it.

Mrs Carnell: But what would you do - give them 12 per cent?

MR BERRY: Mrs Carnell again asks the simplistic question, "What would you do?". The damage that you have done so far will be very expensive in the long term and hard to fix. I need say no more about that, but if we all had our druthers - - -

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