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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 12 Hansard (12 November) . . Page.. 4034 ..

MS TUCKER (3.50): The crossbenches conferenced on this so-called matter of public importance and I am saying, on behalf of Mr Osborne, Mr Moore and my colleague Ms Horodny, that we are of the unanimous view that we do not want to waste valuable time indulging Mrs Littlewood in her pointless and, may I point out, negative debate; so we will not be participating.

MR HUMPHRIES (Attorney-General) (3.51): Mr Speaker, I will be participating in the MPI debate.

Mr Moore: And enjoying the negative.

MR HUMPHRIES: And enjoying it, indeed. I have heard today the great apologia for the misbehaviour of those opposite. I note that the last of them seem to be walking off the floor, so I do not know where the Labor Opposition thinks it is going to have a chance to contribute. Let me comment, Madam Deputy Speaker - I should have made this comment before you took the chair - on the remark that Mrs Littlewood needs looking after. I simply make the observation that in the most recent opinion poll conducted by the Canberra Times Mrs Littlewood's recognition rate, after less than one year in the Assembly, was considerably higher than your own, Madam Deputy Speaker.

MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: And I am proud of that, Mr Humphries, so you can read whatever you like into that.

MR HUMPHRIES: That is not very good chairmanship, Madam Deputy Speaker, to be - - -

MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: If you wish to attack the Chair, Mr Humphries, the Chair will attack you back.

MR HUMPHRIES: I am attacking Ms Roberta McRae, Madam Deputy Speaker.

MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: It is the votes that count, Mr Humphries, not the recognition.

MR HUMPHRIES: Indeed it is. None of us stand in judgment of the others, Madam Deputy Speaker. The fact of the matter remains that there is a case for opposing and for putting the alternative point of view. There is also a case for being constructive in opposition and for using the facts and the truth to build a case against the government of the day or against a proposition of the day which an opposition happens to oppose. Anybody observing the process of opposition over the last three years in this place would, undoubtedly, reach the conclusion that truth, fairness and constructiveness have not been part of the weaponry used by the Labor Opposition in this place.

Evidence of that negative attitude, that complete disregard for the opportunity to build not just the credit of the ACT Opposition but the credit of the Assembly itself - we are talking about the Assembly and its capacity to prove itself to members of this community - can be found in the comments by Mr Berry reported on the front page of the Canberra Times yesterday. Here we saw the most extraordinary and ill-advised attack on

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