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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 1 Hansard (28 April) . . Page.. 26 ..

MR STANHOPE (continuing):

stay true to those who voted for us and will build a bridge to those who at the last poll hesitated in choosing us. We have heeded the message in the electorate and have used it to renew and reinvigorate Labor. It is the face of a new Labor that we present to the Assembly and to the people of Canberra. Through the contribution that we make to this Assembly, Labor will demonstrate that we have a team that is well qualified and well suited to leading the ACT into the future. We will take up the challenge of Opposition by taking it up to the Government on behalf of the people of Canberra.

On issues that count we will hold the Government accountable for the promises they have made - the promises of more jobs, real jobs, increased business opportunities, a better health system, a high-quality education sector and better community facilities. If the Government does not deliver on its commitments, Labor will be here for the people of Canberra, to make sure that they get what they have been promised, and we will carefully examine each new Government policy proposal and each new law, to ensure that it benefits the community and is for the common good. We will not assume the traditional role of Opposition and simply oppose, but we will expect proposals from the Government to be meritorious before they gain our support.

Take, for example, the recent proposal to reform the Assembly through the introduction of Executive committees, which I mentioned earlier. Labor did not oppose that reform simply because it was an idea from the Government. We opposed the suggestion because it was a bad idea, thought up on the run. If proper consideration had been given to the idea in the first place, it would have been obvious that the proposed reform impacted adversely on a system of checks and balances which is a fundamental tenet of our democracy. Labor was similarly concerned about the way in which the Pettit review of the ACT's system of government was established; but at least the way in which that review was conducted, with proper consultation and real assessment of reform proposals, gives us the confidence to enter into a meaningful debate on the outcomes.

The message from all of this is that Labor will not oppose necessary reform, but it will reject ill-conceived ideas that are formulated without due consideration of the impact that they will have on the people of Canberra. Labor will be responsible with our vote in this Assembly, and we will stand up for the people of Canberra, to ensure that we get responsible government. I want to stress that we will seek to enhance the role of Opposition so that we simply do not have the job of opposing. The make-up of the Assembly, in which no party or coalition has a majority, will allow us to contribute constructively with our own legislative initiatives for the Assembly to debate. The people of Canberra will find that Labor is not simply a government in waiting. We will be an Opposition of action, prepared to take the initiative in delivering better laws and better governance for the people of the ACT.

Labor shares the concerns of the ACT community hit hard by the decisions of a Federal Liberal government which takes little pride in our city's status as the national capital and which shows little regard for the people who live here - thousands of redundancies, lower house values, family dislocations and increased bankruptcies. All this happened when the Liberals said they were governing for all of us. Do not forget it was John Howard and the Liberals who promised to make us relaxed and comfortable.

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