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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 8 Hansard (27 August) . . Page.. 2563 ..

MR BERRY (continuing):

over there and Mrs Carnell would have been sitting over here somewhere or doing something else. I would have thought that was a fairly adversarial sort of activity. I think it is a little bit much, once you have been involved in the process, to complain about it.

"Adversarial" is a pejorative word. We are not here just for the adversarial nature of the place; we are here to get a few things done. The pejorative description of passionate debate is "adversarial". In my view about things, I have no difficulty with people pursuing a debate with passion. If it is not worth believing in, it is not worth pursuing. So, I do not think you should complain about the adversarial nature of the two-party system and then describe them as the "old parties". There are a few people who were young striplings when they first started in your party a long time ago and who now have grey whiskers. Your party is starting to be able to be described as old, too. Let us not get carried away with some of those descriptions. I think this motion is personal and political - a mixture of both. There is no doubt about that.

I have come into this position with vigour and I have said to people on the crossbenches - the Independents and Greens - that we want to establish ourselves with their voters and we want to take some of them back. There is nothing wrong with that. We have said the same to the Liberals. I am sure that everybody else out there will be trying to win our votes. That is the nature of the business. If we win enough, we will be in a stronger position to deliver what we think the people of the ACT and the Territory economy need. If the Greens were able to win enough of the votes, I will bet my last dollar that they would be prepared to take on the Leader of the Opposition position.

Ms Tucker: Do you want to bet? I have said quite clearly that we would not.

MR BERRY: I will bet.

Ms Tucker: On the record, Mr Berry.

MR BERRY: Yes, but at this stage they are not an alternative government, and they are not going to be one in the foreseeable future. The same applies to the Independents. They would say that the position of Leader of the Opposition should go. I do not intend to be the Leader of the Opposition for that long, I have to say. I am here only on a temporary placement. On 22 February I will be out of here and over there. So, this is a very temporary position, as far as I am concerned. I will be moving after 22 February. I can say that with confidence. (Extension of time granted)

Mrs Carnell: Do you remember saying that I would not last until Easter?

MR BERRY: Did I say that?

Mrs Carnell: In 1995, yes.

MR BERRY: Well, there you go. Sometimes I have been wrong. I am prepared to admit it.

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