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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 6 Hansard (17 June) . . Page.. 1641 ..

MR KAINE: The point is, Mr Speaker, that it is not the public servants in ACTION services, if you define bus drivers in ACTION as public servants, that I am criticising; I am criticising union officials who, like the Opposition here, try to find every possible thing that they can to be critical about. If they would get on with the job we would all be a lot better off. Mr Corbell's proposition about going to the Industrial Relations Commission is just as irrational as what the TWU did last Friday. Is he arguing that you should not go to the tribunal and have the case argued on its merits? Is he suggesting that we should never go to the commission because we might lose? What a lot of hogwash! I hope Mr Corbell one day is Industrial Relations Minister - I doubt it; I think he will be too old by the time they get back into government - because I am sure he will take a vastly different view of things than he is pretending to take today.

Electoral Legislation - Countback System

MRS LITTLEWOOD: My question is to the Attorney-General. Is the Attorney-General aware of a policy resolution passed by the ACT branch of the Australian Labor Party last weekend which would see the countback system repealed? Can the Attorney-General tell me: Is this possible to repeal? What is the implication of such a decision?

MR HUMPHRIES: What was that name? Who was it?

Ms McRae: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: Under what aspect of the Minister's portfolio can he answer questions on Labor Party policy?

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, the question was about whether it was possible to repeal countback.

Ms McRae: No, it was not. Mr Speaker, on a point of order: It was: Is the Minister aware of Labor Party policy passed during the conference? It had nothing to do with his responsibility.

MR HUMPHRIES: I will read out the question.

MR SPEAKER: The other problem I have is that it is, I think, asking for a legal opinion.

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, it is asking me how it is possible to repeal countback. That is a very simple question about the operation of our electoral legislation. I am the Minister responsible for the Electoral Act and am, therefore, quite capable of answering questions about it.

Ms McRae: Everybody knows about it already; it does not need any help from you.

MR SPEAKER: Was this in the newspapers?

MR HUMPHRIES: Yes, it was, Mr Speaker.

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