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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 6 Hansard (22 June) . . Page.. 1605 ..
MR MOORE (continuing):
a responsibility as members of this Assembly to ensure that we deal with that before there is any adjournment. There is a great deal of other business on the notice paper as well. I am sure that Mr Humphries will talk about our responsibilities to continue with the business of government and to save ourselves from being put in this situation.
Mr Speaker and members, I recognise that the motion that Mr Stanhope has tabled is a very serious motion. I also recognise that at the end run of almost every single sitting period Mr Stanhope or other members of the Labor Party have introduced grave concern, censure and no-confidence motions in some form. At the very last sitting there was a no-confidence motion in Mr Humphries. They keep going on. The disappointment for me is that the whole focus of those opposite is to play the games of politics, instead of getting on with doing what is in the best interests of the people.
Mr Kaine: Get off it, Michael. Get off your bike. You are pathetic.
MR MOORE: Mr Speaker, I am respecting your wishes and I would ask you to ensure that Mr Kaine does so as well. Mr Speaker, the main issue here is getting on with the business of what is in the best interests of the people of Canberra, instead of going down the path of the Opposition and Mr Kaine, in particular, forgetting the fact that the only reason he was elected was the popularity of Mrs Carnell at the last election. That is true.
Mr Speaker, although we have a very serious motion in front of us, we also have other serious responsibilities, very serious responsibilities, to the people of the Territory. Often, we get very involved in what is happening in this Assembly, particularly the specific interest of the media in a particular issue, but there is also a lot of other business goings on in this Assembly which it is absolutely critical that we pursue. What we ought to be doing is continuing to get on with the business that we need to pursue and deal next week, on the Wednesday, with the motion that Mr Stanhope has tabled. We have work to do and we ought to get on with doing it, rather than getting bogged down and undermined by the want-of-confidence motion tabled just a few minutes ago.
Mr Speaker, we are really making a decision about what is in the best interests of the Assembly as opposed to what is in the very best interests of the people of the Territory. I think that what is in the best interests of the people of the Territory is the very thing that is highlighted by the Mental Health Act. The best interests of the people of the Territory is to deal with the legislation we have before us as well as all the money Bills that Mr Humphries will talk about and to get on with doing the work that we were charged with doing when we were elected. That is what we ought to be doing.
MR SPEAKER: Before I call Mr Berry, I would like to recognise the presence in the gallery of the Gungahlin and Gold Creek Probus clubs. Welcome to your Assembly.
MR BERRY (10.48): Mr Moore raised the question of competence and it is quite appropriate that he do so, but he should have been looking in the mirror when he raised the issue because it was Mr Moore who introduced the piece of legislation that he referred to and it is Mr Moore who has delayed its reintroduction into this Assembly until this point. There has been long and drawn out discussion with members in relation to the matter. I understand that the legislation is basically back to where we started, that is, back to the original Bill in terms of its effect. This piece of legislation has been
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