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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 1 Hansard (29 April) . . Page.. 199 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

I think the public really have voted with their feet here. They turn up when there is a matter of interest to them, but they are not turning up and they have not turned up when we have had the Tuesday night sittings if there is something that is of no interest to them. Ted Quinlan made a point, as an aside, about people who turn up simply because of an interest in politics - an almost political groupie type of idea. I mention a mutual friend of ours, Don Dwyer. Don certainly has turned up on a few occasions, be they night sittings or daytime sittings, and I actually started listing a few other regulars who turn up here. The list is pretty sparse; there are not all that many. People have other things to do with their time, but when there is something of real interest they will turn up and they will turn up regardless of when we sit.

Mr Hird mentioned a number of sittings where we went on into the night. There have been some significant night sittings and obviously these will continue in the course of this Assembly, depending on what we are debating. If there are matters of interest, people will turn up. So, Mr Berry, I have no problems, philosophically, with your idea. In fact, it would be very good if there was proof that the people of the ACT really wanted to avail themselves of that opportunity. They do not, and they have proven that. We have had night sittings, certainly all through the First and Second Assemblies. We had a couple, I think, in the Third Assembly and then they were discontinued. I did not notice any great public outcry in relation to that. The Chief Minister has indicated that no-one has ever lobbied her - and she has probably been lobbied about more things than anyone else here - on night sittings. I certainly cannot recall anyone ever lobbying me about the need for Tuesday night, Wednesday night or Thursday night sittings.

I have absolutely no problem with sitting any time that the Assembly desires, because that is part and parcel of the job; but the fact is that there is no real demand for this in the general ACT community. They have shown consistently over the years that when individuals, or indeed groups, have an interest in a matter being debated they will turn up to this Assembly. But if they do not have an interest they will not, and that is fair enough. That is, I think, what you expect in a democracy and it is not dissimilar to what occurs in other parliaments.

MR BERRY (5.58), in reply: I am sure the community would rather have a few night sittings every year than a futsal slab. I do not recall anybody ringing me up and saying they wanted a futsal slab either, but they got one. I do not remember anybody ringing me up and saying they wanted 2,400 numberplates with "Feel the Power" on them, but they got them. I do not remember anybody ringing me up and saying that instead of getting 2,400 numberplates in each batch we should get 4,800 this time just because we want "Feel the Power" on half of them. I never got lobbied about that. I never got lobbied about the "Feel the Power" campaign either, with $500,000 worth of advertising right across the country. Nobody lobbied me on that, but they got it anyway. Nobody lobbied me and said, "We want to spend $50m on the Bruce Stadium in the lead-up to the Olympics", but they got it anyway. Nobody lobbied me for lots of things, but they got them. Nobody lobbied the Government for lots of things, but they got them. This is not about whether you have been lobbied or not; it is about extending yourself into the community and providing an opportunity for people to come here.

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