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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 10 Hansard (5 September) . . Page.. 3195 ..

MR BERRY: Yes, that is right. She is happy if people lose their jobs. She could not care less. I think the Greens need to wear the responsibility for this. They will not get away with it. Each of those people whose jobs could have been saved and are now lost will remember that the Greens could have stopped this. It will just keep going all the time. You would expect the Liberals to do that, but the Greens could have stopped this. The urgency declaration on this Bill is an abuse of process and it is an abuse of community trust. The community expect these things to be debated widely. There is an option under the Bill to set up other arrangements which would ensure that those 100 or so jobs are saved. The community would expect a reasoned debate around that issue. There is not - - -

Mr Humphries: We have already had the debate. We had it on 20 June.

MR BERRY: Mr Humphries interjects and says, "We have already had the debate". We have never had the debate around this issue. This issue is about preventing a private club, a private association, from providing amenities to its members and preventing members of that private association from getting around the trading hours. If the people who want to join that private club or association pay their money and join, they get the discounts and amenities which are provided by the club, and it becomes quite legal.

Because Mr Humphries's law left this arrangement open, he wants to jump on it. He is embarrassed now because somebody has found a way around it and a quite sensible way to provide individuals in the community with private access not normally available to the community. I suggest that the bank would have to stay open late at night to pick up the $10 subscriptions, because there would be lots of people lined up to buy their $10 worth of discounts at Coles supermarkets.

Mr Humphries: Not after today, there will not be.

MR BERRY: Mr Humphries gloats and says, "Not after today, they will not be". What a type! What do you think all the other private associations around the ACT might think about this?

Mr Moore: What ramifications is it going to have for all our clubs?

MR BERRY: Indeed. What would they think about this? The Government and the Greens, if they take it into their heads to have some sort of mad fit of frenzy over this issue, are likely to cramp the ability to provide facilities and services to the community, just because it does not suit the mood of the Greens and the Liberals. The Greens have behaved shamefully on this issue. They have made a shameful attack on jobs. Overall, 300 have gone.

Mr Humphries: It was 100 a minute ago.

MR BERRY: This particular move takes away the right of Coles to protect 100 jobs. Shame on you, Mr Humphries, and shame on the Greens!

MR SPEAKER: The member's time has expired.

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