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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 13 Hansard (4 December) . . Page.. 4650 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

support us in having more noise created at Fairbairn Park". I know that, because I have heard those arguments. When that occurred, the Labor Party jumped. But, if this issue had gone to a referendum, it would not be just those 10,000 motor sport enthusiasts who could threaten the Labor Party in making the decision; it would be the whole of the ACT electorate. The whole of the electorate matters in those sorts of debates.

Mr Kaine: You have chased them away.

MR HUMPHRIES: I have chased them away, obviously. He has run off.

Mr Kaine: You have chased the whole Labor Party away.

MR HUMPHRIES: Yes. So much for the representative democracy where people make decisions! They are not even here to hear the decisions.

Mr Speaker, I think that money and power play a much bigger role in representative democracy than they could ever play in a direct democratic process like the one that we are talking about. Even if you were concerned about the role that people with lots of money would play in a situation like that, in a referendum setting, there is a very obvious answer to that problem. You limit the amount that they can spend in those circumstances. You put a cap on how much anyone can spend in a campaign.

Mr Moore: We could do that in proportional representation.

MR HUMPHRIES: Indeed, we could. It is perfectly possible to have that happen. I think that is quite possible. I think, Mr Speaker, that would be a viable way of dealing with the problem, if members really have a concern about that problem. But the fundamental reality is that money and power already play a big role in representative democracy.

Ms McRae: What about shopping hours? What did you do about shopping hours?

MR HUMPHRIES: That is a very good example.

MR SPEAKER: Order! Settle down, everybody. I know that it is late; but we all want to get home.

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, I do not mind taking an interjection; but, if it is blared across the chamber, it becomes a little bit hard to deal with.

Ms McRae: That is so that you hear it. It is just so that you hear it.

MR HUMPHRIES: I will take that point by Ms McRae, if she would like to sit down and be quiet. I heard Mr Whitecross or Ms Tucker say that one of the problems is that referenda can be initiated by groups with lots of power and resources. These people are already powerful. They can get access to the resources to be able to collect the signatures that they need and they can control the agenda and put issues up, when other, poorer, people cannot.

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