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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 8 Hansard (27 August) . . Page.. 2561 ..

MR MOORE (continuing):

Actually, I am quite happy to be in a social laboratory. I am happy about change, because I do not think things are perfect now. If they are not perfect now, then of course we can proceed with change. But I do not mind Mr Osborne turning us into a social laboratory in this way.

Mr Speaker, there is a difference between my opinion and Mr Osborne's opinion here. Let us take the small step. Let us see how it goes and then let us take the next step in modifying government. That is why I am prepared to support Ms Tucker's motion right now, make this change and also seek to make the change in salaries. The change in salaries will make no difference whatsoever to me and it will make no difference to Mr Osborne, but I think it will make a difference to the way the Government is scrutinised and the way the Assembly does its work.

So, I am all in favour of this motion, Mr Speaker. I think it is a great motion, and I am very pleased that Ms Tucker brought it on. I am very pleased, too, Mr Speaker, to recognise what Mr Berry said. He said, "This motion is having a go at me, and it ought not to be adjourned". I had originally intended to move for its adjournment. He said, "It ought not to be adjourned. We should deal with it now". I think that is a reasonable request. I am happy to bow to it.

MR BERRY (Leader of the Opposition) (5.12): Mr Speaker, the first thing I would like to do is take a little bit of an historic journey to where all of this started. In 1989, I was a greenhorn politician - I am sorry, Ms Tucker - and came to this place amidst a myriad of people from different political persuasions. Labor, for its sins, was the government of the day. We had a Chief Minister elected and we formed a government. We had five members, as I recall; the Liberals had four; I think the Residents Rally had four; and there were members from the No Self Government Party and the Abolish Self Government Coalition. That added up to 17. We had a fairly feisty few months.

Mr Kaine: It was almost like now, Wayne.

MR BERRY: Yes. It was a fairly feisty few months. The Labor Government fell because it could no longer maintain the confidence of the Assembly, and an Alliance Government was formed. As Mr Osborne spoke, it brought back some memories. The Alliance Executive consisted of some Liberal members, one Residents Rally person and one No Self Government person - a nice mixture. It was a blend of what was going on. Bearing in mind that the Labor Party had lost the confidence of the Assembly, the alternative government was a blend of all of the other forces. If I said that it was chaotic, I am sure that there are some within this chamber who would say that that was an understatement, because it was downright impossible. It was a blend of the political forces in the Assembly.

The traditional Executive was formed. They made their decisions in the Cabinet room, but they also had a joint party room. They had two separate party rooms, a joint party room and a Cabinet. Then came the time when decisions of the Cabinet had to be defended in the community. Was that not interesting, and did it not make for some headlines? It eventually led to the sacking of one of the Ministers, who was a non-Liberal, and the Government fell apart. Labor took office again for a short period.

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