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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 3 Hansard (8 March) . . Page.. 709 ..

MR SPEAKER: Mr Stanhope, if you want to talk to Mr Stefaniak, please go outside. Mr Humphries has the floor.

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, I am confident that there will be - - -

Mr Stanhope: Mr Smyth, do you want me to table them?

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, I really have to insist on a chance to make my comments without interjection.

MR SPEAKER: I might remind Mr Stanhope that he was the one who quite rudely intruded this party matter into the debate, as I recall. I do not think it has anything to do with International Women's Day.

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, all I need to say on this subject is that, while I am pretty confident that next week there will still be a woman leader of the Liberal Party in the ACT Legislative Assembly, I can say with much greater certainty that there will be a male leader of the Australian Labor Party in the ACT Legislative Assembly, because there is not much choice on the subject.

The suggestion that the electors are responsible for the fact that there are no women members of the ALP in this place is outrageous. It is outrageous to blame the electors of the ACT. The fact is that it is factional politics which have left the ALP without any women representatives in this place, and you have to wonder just how they are going to fix that problem. In Brindabella, for example, which of Mr Hargreaves and Mr Wood is going to step aside for a woman on the ticket? I would like to see that. In the central seat, who is going to step aside. Is it going to be Mr Quinlan or is it going to Mr Corbell? It is going to be a very interesting contest indeed.

On this side of the house we are prepared to take positive action to back up our concern about redressing the prejudice and discrimination that have been facing women in this community. The results are pretty clear, in terms of such things as have been discussed in this debate today. Obviously more work needs to be done, but on this side of the house we are pretty proud of our record. I have no doubt that when action matches the rhetoric from the boys from the ALP they will also be able to emulate the sorts of achievements in this area which my party has been able to put in place.

MR BERRY (4.35): What an appalling and disingenuous performance that was from a Minister who sought to reduce women's right to choose. The Chief Minister boasted about her achievements on International Women's Day, when it was not that long ago that she was trying to take away a woman's right to choose. Look at the frontbench of the Liberal Party. The Chief Minister, the Deputy Chief Minister, the Minister for Urban Services, and the Minister for Education want to take away a woman's right to choose. They want to maintain the criminality of abortion in the ACT. How dare they say they have any record in relation to women's issues in this Territory.

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