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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 1 Hansard (29 April) . . Page.. 193 ..
MR BERRY (continuing):
(b) the Speaker shall fix the time for the resumption of the debate on any business under discussion and not disposed of at the time of interruption:
Provided further that on Wednesdays and Thursdays, Presentation of papers; Ministerial statements, by leave; and Matter of Public Importance follow Questions without notice in the ordinary routine of business.Ã.
This motion is about an open, accessible and less adversarial Assembly. This motion is about giving the community access to their Assembly to see their highly paid members work. In the past people have resisted this approach on the basis that nobody came and it was too expensive. If that were the criterion for the entire Assembly, worth $6m, we would close the whole place down. That is an absolutely ridiculous approach to access to a legislature by constituents. The fact of the matter is that on any day when government business is being discussed, if you took out the public servants and advisers, you could fire a gun in this place without frightening anybody. The only people that would be frightened would be the few members who stay in this place.
All that the community have heard since the last election has been about the dash for cash. People have been talking about wage and salary increases, allowance increases, extra handouts for some members in the place for their staff, and new Ministers. I understand Mrs Carnell said that it costs about $240,000 for a Minister. I suspect it costs a lot more, but let us say it is $240,000, to use Mrs Carnell's language. We then have to take into account the extra staffing levels which have been handed out to some members in the place, the salaries that we all earn in relation to our duties here and the other non-salary conditions which apply to members of this place. Why then can members who are so keen to get a better interface with the community not give the community that works throughout the day at Fyshwick and other industrial areas, in Public Service offices and in other service areas of both the Federal Government and the Territory Government, who cannot get away, the opportunity to come here?
I do not expect that we will be swamped with a great line-up of people to fill the galleries, but I do recall that the greatest numbers to come to this place came here in the evenings.
Mr Hird: Hurrumph!
MR BERRY: Mr Hird interjects, "Hurrumph". That is probably his best interjection today. I do not recall Mr Hird being here when the night sittings occurred, so it is a little bit out of his territory to be making a comment about it. Those facts are matters of public record. Not only was the chamber full but also there was a spillover into the areas outside the place, in both this house and the older place where we once met.
As my former colleague Roberta McRae said last time this was debated, "Evening sittings are a trial". They are hard work and nobody likes them. I do not like them. I would much rather be home with the electric blanket on at about 6 or 7 o'clock. I would rather that, as an elected member, I did not have to wander around the constituency meeting
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