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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 8 Hansard (27 August) . . Page.. 2485 ..

MRS CARNELL (continuing):

Sydney as his primary residence, very quickly indicated that this could have been seen, and has been seen, in many parts of the community and in the press as a bit of a snub for Canberra rather than necessarily as a family decision. It is inconceivable that the Prime Minister of Great Britain would not live at No. 10 Downing Street or, for that matter, that the President of the United States would not live - - -

Mr Berry: He is at No. 11 now.

MRS CARNELL: That is true. He moved next-door. He needed a bigger house. That was the deal. It is inconceivable that the President of the United States would not live in the White House. Clearly, the Prime Minister of Australia should be living in the Lodge and have that as his primary residence. This Government has argued that line consistently for more than a year now. I must admit that I have taken up this issue personally with Mr Howard. Indeed, one of my backbenchers, Louise Littlewood, started a petition about six months ago. I understand that the petition now has around 2,000 signatures.

Mr Speaker, elections are funny things, are they not? You really wonder why, 18 months after John Howard actually made the decision not to have the Lodge as his primary residence, Bill Wood would bring it up now. I wondered whether Mr Wood had not quite realised it - - -

Mr Berry: Because nobody here had made a decision about it; that is why. The Government showed no leadership.

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, Mr Berry says, "The Government showed no leadership". The Government, or Mrs Littlewood, has a petition out there with 2,000 signatures. I personally have made representations to the Prime Minister about this. We have written to the Prime Minister. In other words, I think we have been right out there on the front foot on this issue. You have to ask what the motion that is on the notice paper today is actually going to do that has not already been done. Certainly, the Government has been out there lobbying loudly - as, by the way, have members of the crossbenches as well - for the Prime Minister to live in his official residence. Was the Opposition perhaps asleep? Or do they not do anything until there is an election on? Now we are six months from an election. With the need to raise his profile a little bit, I think, Mr Wood has roused himself from his slumber, rubbed his eyes and looked for an issue that might give him a bit of a profile. Unfortunately, most other people in this place have actually already been raising this issue constantly.

I think it would be far more productive if all members of this Assembly either signed the petition that Mrs Littlewood is already circulating or put together another petition so that we could convey to Mr Howard the strength of our views on this matter. But Mr Wood, in his eagerness for a quick headline, has simply gone down the path, I believe, of a political stunt - a stunt, by the way, that we all totally agree with. It is all on the record. It has been said in the media and in this place time and time again. Some amendments are being circulated at this stage. I think it is very important that - - -

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