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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 14 Hansard (12 December) . . Page.. 4888 ..

MR OSBORNE (continuing):

a certain path. Now we are proposing to go in a different direction. There may well be some merit in some of the things that the Government has proposed; but I still do not think that enough time has been allowed, not just for us here in the Assembly but for the wider community, to address this issue.

I will be supporting all the amendments, for that reason alone. I think this is being rushed. I know who the architect of all these changes has been. I know who the middleman has been on this issue. The man has been working between both sides. The one thing that scares me more than anything else in politics, the one thing that really gets the defences up, is the two major parties going together blindly. When the two major parties work together, it frightens the hell out of me, because I know something is up. Possibly something is up here. I am not prepared to go against my sixth sense. I do not think I have been wrong when I have done that. Every time these two have got together there has been something shifty happening. As I said before, I do not know a lot about planning. I do not intend to know a lot about planning. That is what I have Mr Moore sitting next to me for.

I think this has been rushed. Look at the smirk on Mr Humphries over there, shaking his head. Do that again. You look like one of those dogs that sit in the back of cars. I will be supporting Mr Moore and I will be supporting the Greens. I do not trust it when the two major parties get together and try to - I am looking for the right word here - - -

Mr Moore: Ram something through.

MR OSBORNE: That is what I was trying to say - ram something through. I think that is what is being done here. I do not know why it has not been sent off to a committee.

Mr Moore: You cannot reflect on a vote of the Assembly, remember.

MR OSBORNE: Okay. The Labor Party did a major backflip this morning, perhaps because the deal was being done on the new job - I do not know. Mr Moore hangs his head, suggesting that I should not have said that. The Labor Party supported quite significant changes to the emergency services within the Territory being referred to a committee. I cannot see why this has not been sent to a committee. I am perhaps pushing the barriers on referring to that vote, Mr Speaker, but unfortunately I was not here to speak on it because you kicked me out.

I will not speak again on planning tonight, because I do not want to sound any sillier than I am. I am always panicked and worried when the Labor Party and the Liberal Party get together, because 99 times out of 100 there is something shady going on. I also think this is being rushed. This is probably the most significant piece of planning legislation we will see in the term of this Assembly, and I do not think enough time has been given to it. I thought I would just clarify why my vote has been going a certain way and why it will continue to go a certain way unless I am evicted later in the evening.

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