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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 5 Hansard (14 May) . . Page.. 1363 ..

MR MOORE (continuing):

The reality was that they simply used a whole series of their styles of investigation to get what they wanted, to make it look like they were trying to look after this small sector of the business community that they had made great promises to just prior to the last election and to make it look like they were meeting those promises which, in fact, they were not able to deliver. Unfortunately, they did deliver. Lo and behold, the impact on the local shops, as we said in this chamber again and again, was negligible.

I am very pleased that the Government have admitted their mistake, that they were wrong. I would like to have seen Mr Humphries a little more red faced. I must say that he does not seem to be too embarrassed about it. The reality is that the Government should be embarrassed, not about making this decision but about making the stupid decision in the first place.

MS TUCKER (11.14): I am not making a personal explanation. I would like to make some comments on the subject, but I would point out that I did not come down just because Mr Moore was apparently pressuring me when he was saying that I was embarrassed by what my colleague was saying. I came down when I heard the absurd things he was saying because I felt I might need to make a response. Ms Horodny does not need my protection and support in this argument.

Mr Moore: I had not even started speaking. Tell the truth, Kerrie. I had not even started speaking when you arrived. Your lack of truth is exposed by your own words.

MS TUCKER: I knew what you were saying before you said it, Mr Moore; you have said it so often already. I said before I came down, "Mr Moore will be saying we are embarrassed about this position". The thing that is really interesting about this is that Mr Moore talks about choice. I have actually heard Mr Whitecross talk about choice too. He even went so far as to say, "People have chosen with their feet".

Mr Moore: I often talk about choice.

MS TUCKER: Mr Moore interjects, "I often talk about choice". What you have missed in this whole argument, Mr Moore and Mr Whitecross, is that we are arguing about continuing to provide choice in the future. Our support for the Liberal Government was for the providing of choice in the future. This is what is being discussed all around Australia and the world. It is about handing over control to big companies; it is about reducing diversity; and it is about reducing choice for people in the community. The big companies, the big stores, are going to be basically designing our city. We will not have a choice if we do not have a car.

Mr Whitecross said people were voting with their feet. No; they were voting with their cars. They drove to the shop where they thought they could have 24-hour trading. What happens to the people who do not have a car? Okay, so we leave everyone trading for as long as they like. The small centres close. We do not have local shops. How do you vote with your feet if you have to go right across town? You cannot; you have to vote with your car. You cannot get to the shops unless you have a car. The Labor Party is continually saying our public transport system is being destroyed by this Liberal Government.

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