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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 6 Hansard (17 June) . . Page.. 1643 ..

Mr Berry: The reason Tasmania is in a hole is their stupid electoral system, which is the same as what we have.

MR HUMPHRIES: The stupid electoral system? Is this the same electoral system that you voted at the weekend to entrench? Did you vote to support it on the weekend? You and your colleagues, Mr Berry, are now committed to supporting the Hare-Clark electoral system. That is what it says in the newspaper. Have we got it wrong? Are you in favour of Hare-Clark or are you not?

Mr Whitecross: Yes, we are in favour of Hare-Clark.

MR HUMPHRIES: The fact is that your position remains about as clear as a muddy river. No-one knows what you really think about the electoral system.

Mr Berry: Would you like me to get up and tell you?

MR HUMPHRIES: I think what you say and what you intend to do are two entirely different things.

Mr Berry: I will tell you about all the dunderheads that support it as it is, too.

MR SPEAKER: Would you be quiet, Mr Berry.

MR HUMPHRIES: I notice that the letter to the Electoral Commissioner in 1995, which was signed by members of this Assembly, authorising the Yes case for the referendum at that election to entrench Hare-Clark, includes phrases like, "Take this opportunity to stop the key features of this electoral system being easily changed. Vote Yes to safeguard these key features". One of those key features, of course, is that casual vacancies will be filled by the countback method. Members signed that letter to the Electoral Commissioner. Ms Follett's signature is there; Mr Lamont's is there; Mr Connolly's is there. What was that other name?

Mr Moore: Is there a Mr B?

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Berry seems to have been forgotten. Is that not careless of them? Fancy your colleagues forgetting to put your name, Mr Berry, on that paper and to invite you to sign it. How very careless!

Mr Speaker, I have been looking at the editorial in the Canberra Times - not the one today, which was a very interesting media statement - of 17 December 1993 in which there was comment by the Canberra Times about the ACT Labor Party's performance on electoral systems. The editorial is headed "Labor's cynical lies on ACT vote system". The article includes statements like:

The vote -

that is, the vote at the referendum in 1992 -

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