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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 8 Hansard (27 August) . . Page.. 2555 ..

Ms Tucker: Mr Berry interjected and said that ever since the Prasad report the Greens have been after some more money when it comes to staffing.

Mr Berry: There was no sign of it beforehand.

MR OSBORNE: I would not like to suggest that, Mr Speaker. I have a lot more faith in Ms Tucker. However, I will say that the thought of getting my hands on some of your money, Mr Berry, is very tempting. I feel, though, Mr Speaker, that perhaps we are heading down the wrong path on this issue at the moment. As I said, I am on the public record as saying that I think there need to be some fundamental changes in the Assembly. However, I do need to be convinced that now is the right time to be removing Mr Berry from his role as Leader of the Opposition. As I said, we all entered this Assembly knowing full well how it operates. I think it would be a bit like asking the Australian Rugby League to play under Super League rules during the semifinals when for the whole of their competition they played under ARL rules.

Mr Speaker, I will quickly go through some of the issues that I would like to see addressed if we are to consider changing how this Assembly works. I firmly believe, as the Greens have said, that power does need to be returned to the Assembly, and I think that needs to be at the expense of the Executive. It should make all 17 members here responsible for governing the Territory, not just four Ministers who meet in secret and who certainly make it very hard to access documents which oftentimes they say are Cabinet-in-confidence.

I think two points need to be borne in mind when considering the system of government that we have. Firstly, the Hare-Clark electoral system will generally guarantee that neither of the major parties will be in a position to govern in its own right, no matter what Mr Berry has had to say recently. The second is that the Assembly is the smallest chamber in the Commonwealth and the reality is that talent is at times very thin on the ground amongst the ranks of the major parties.

There are three major changes to the system that I believe will radically reorganise the power structure and draw all members into the process of government. This will best utilise all the available talent and ensure that decisions better reflect the aspirations of the community rather than the ideology of one political party. I would prefer, Mr Speaker, to begin with a blank sheet and completely revamp the style of government, but unfortunately this is not possible because the system is entrenched in a Commonwealth Act which the Assembly cannot change. So another means needs to be found. To reinvent a phrase, my suggestion is a minimalist position which maximises the available opportunities for change. The Assembly can be significantly remodelled simply by changing the rules by which it runs. As we have seen today, the standing orders can be amended at any time if the move is supported by a majority of members.

I propose three changes. At the first meeting of a new Assembly the chamber votes first to elect a Speaker, and then a Chief Minister. The Chief Minister then appoints her Cabinet. What I would like to see happen, Mr Speaker, is that after the Chief Minister is elected the Assembly vote again to recommend the members of her Cabinet.

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