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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 7 Hansard (19 June) . . Page.. 1938 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

Referring to Mr Heaney, from the Automotive, Metals and Engineering Union, the article continued:

He complained that Mr Berry did not have the power to make budgetary decisions, and "showed a poor understanding of current state of negotiations".

We have heard that sort of refrain from Mr Moore as well. Mr Berry is back. Congratulations, Mr Berry! It is nice to see you. I am glad that you could join us for the debate that you got started. It is nice to see him here, is it not?

Ms McRae: You are so nice, Mr Humphries!

MR HUMPHRIES: I know. People tell me that.

Ms McRae: You win the award. Gee, your party must love you; you are so sweet!

MR HUMPHRIES: People tell me that I am very nice. People tell me that all the time. Mr Speaker, I am glad that Mr Berry is here, because he can hear a bit more about what his own record in industrial relations was all about. According to the Canberra Times of 16 December 1993:

The Transport Workers' Union has voted to disrupt Canberra's bus network by a rolling campaign of unspecified wildcat industrial action.

Guess who was Industrial Relations Minister at the time. It said:

The ACT branch secretary of the TWU, Peter Schultz, said it -

that is, the industrial action -

would continue until Mr Berry changed his mind and talked to the union.

Is that the conciliatory environment you are talking about that Mr Stefaniak should adopt? Mr Stefaniak has been talking to the union. He has had plenty of discussions with the Australian Education Union. When were you talking to the Transport Workers Union in this particular case? The article continued:

He -

that is, Mr Schultz -

said the office of the Minister for Urban Services, Terry Connolly, was not opposed to the TWU package but the agreement was being stymied by Mr Berry for "political reasons". He declined to elaborate.

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