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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 7 Hansard (10 July) . . Page.. 2408 ..

MR CORBELL (continuing):

It is interesting to read some of the comments that have been made previously in this place about the role of the budget and about whether it is a vote of confidence in the government. That has been hotly debated in this place over the past few weeks. Mr Speaker, I would like to draw the Assembly's attention to your words in this place on 30 June last year. You said:

Unlike in other legislatures in the Westminster system, in this Assembly the defeat of any initiative is not normally taken as a want of confidence.

That is true. You went on to say:

It is really only the defeat of a budget-which has never happened, fortunately-or a specific vote of this Assembly that can see a government fall.

I think we would agree with you on that point, Mr Speaker. That is why we voted against the government's budget last week.

There are other interesting perspectives that should be brought to this debate. Two of the key players in this debate, Mr Osborne and Mr Rugendyke, have given this Assembly their views on a vote on the budget. Mr Osborne said on 18 February last year:

One of the things that have always intrigued me has been how governments have come down in an Assembly such as this, which has always been a minority government Assembly, and placed a budget on the table and said, "You either vote for the lot or it's a vote of no confidence."

Those are the perceptions of an independent member of this place. Mr Rugendyke said on 9 March last year:

In the one budget that I have had experience with I had problems with that "take it or leave it" budget. If the Government wants to share responsibility, it is not possible under this system. My first budget was "like it or lump it". There were aspects of last year's budget that I did not like-for example, the introduction of the inequitable and loathed insurance levy-

we certainly agree with you on that, Mr Rugendyke-

but there was no room to move.

We all know what the perspectives of members in this place are. We all know what a vote against the budget is about. Members of the government themselves have said inside and outside this place, "Take it or leave it. The government stands or falls on its budget." In that context, what else is an opposition party to do if it does not have faith in this government? Of course, it votes against the budget. For that reason, we voted against this budget.

With the introduction of this bill, we see a complete abrogation of this government's will to implement a reform that it says it believes in. Instead, this government has taken the view that there is only one solution to this crisis, and that is to negotiate an outcome

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