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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 10 Hansard (25 November) . . Page.. 2956 ..

Mr Smyth: You said this morning that you respected that view, yet now it is nonsense. You are a hypocrite.

MR BERRY: You want to humiliate women and make them feel guilty.

MR SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR BERRY: That is what you want to do.

MR SPEAKER: Mr Berry has the floor.

MR BERRY: One of the interesting things about this debate, Mr Speaker, is to listen to the changing views. Mr Moore, this morning, was rock solid on delaying, and I note that people quoted me as saying I wanted to waste time on this matter. Well, they are re-creating history in relation to the matter. That was not what I said. They might have been listening to my quote from Mr Moore when he said on radio this morning what his position was and confused it, because it is getting late. No, Mr Moore made it clear that he would do anything possible to delay this Bill. But he said in his speech that it is different now. Yes, I suppose it was daylight this morning and it is dark tonight. The weather is different from what it was this morning. I do not know what else is different except that Mr Moore has changed his mind.

I would not have bothered with this committee proposal were it not for the comments of Mr Moore this morning because I would have known that there was no chance without Mr Moore's support. He was shown the copy of the motion that I had drafted. I had consulted with women's groups and other members in this place and had their acquiescence to it. When the reality was put in front of Mr Moore he changed his mind. Maybe if it had been his idea it might have been a different thing, but that is history now. His mind has been changed.

Mr Kaine cannot escape criticism here because I think I heard him say earlier today that he would not have minded some committee consideration or an extended hearing.

Mr Kaine: I have been convinced today that I do not need it. That is reasonable, isn't it?

MR BERRY: He now tells me he is convinced that he does not need it. Mr Kaine, I must say I respect your experience. I must say that you have developed talents over the period that I have known you in this place that I never expected - that you could come to understand the complex nature of this legislation and the amendments that have come before us, and the opinions from eminent people, in such a short time. You have increased the level of respect that I had for you.

I wonder who else will change their minds tonight? The point was made, probably by Mr Humphries, amongst his weird analogies, that nobody would ever change their mind in response to a committee inquiry.

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