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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 3 Hansard (9 April) . . Page.. 799 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

demonstrated extremely clearly that this Territory has not had any particular friends in either of the parties that have formed government at the Federal level and, as the most recent incident - the euthanasia legislation - demonstrates, it has not had particular friends among members of the parliamentary parties that make up the Federal Parliament.

I stand in this place as a person whose first and overwhelming loyalty has to be not to the party I represent in this place but to the electors I represent in this place. I wish Mr Berry and his colleagues would adopt the same kind of priority. It appears, however, that they do not. In the seven or so years that I have sat in this place, during which there was a Federal Labor government looking over Canberra, I cannot recall a single occasion, not one single occasion - perhaps my memory can be refreshed - when Mr Berry and his colleagues attacked the Federal Labor Government for some decision they were taking that was adverse to the interests of Canberra. There were very limited occasions where there was veiled criticism of the Federal Government - - -

Mr Berry: Our Prime Minister lived here.

MR HUMPHRIES: Unfortunately, it is not just about living here, Mr Berry. It goes a long way beyond that. Your Prime Minister also cut the Federal Public Service and Canberra's employment base very severely.

Mr Berry: Unemployment levels were never as high as they are now.

MR HUMPHRIES: Youth unemployment levels certainly were, Mr Berry. Youth unemployment, for your information, Mr Berry, was higher than it has been under this Government. Youth unemployment was extremely high under your Government, and that was, at least in part, the result of decisions made by your Federal colleagues on the hill, your Federal Labor colleagues in the Federal Labor Government. What did you say about that at the time? Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, Mr Berry was conspicuous in his restraint in not talking about the Federal Labor Government. He was conspicuous in his restraint on that subject. It is quite clear that Mr Berry's first priority is protecting the backs of his Labor colleagues and his second is protecting the backs of the people of Canberra.

I want to put on record my very clear position that I believe it is the duty of every member of this place, first and foremost, to argue for the interests of the people of Canberra because they are the people who have elected us to this place. It is they whose interests have suffered in a number of decisions, and it is they who deserve to be defended by members of this place, first and foremost. The Andrews Bill, for example, received wide support in the Federal Parliament from both sides of the chamber. I am not sure about the crossbenches; I do not know whether, apart from Senator Harradine, there were any members of the crossbenches who supported the legislation. I suspect that the crossbenches were less supportive of the legislation than were the major parties, but that is speculation. I do know that there has been demonstrated in that legislation a highly paternalistic attitude to the people of Canberra.

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