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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 12 Hansard (7 December) . . Page.. 3903 ..
MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):
ago to federate in one nation and to put aside a special place to be their national capital. We are here for that reason, Mr Speaker. We are the child of -
Mr Wood: Did you get a briefing about this?
MR HUMPHRIES: Yes, I did. I did get a briefing.
Mr Wood: You propose a motion and introduce it without any reference to anything.
MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, to answer Mr Wood's interjection: I did receive a briefing. I was invited to a briefing for me and you, Mr Speaker, by the centenary of federation representatives visiting the ACT who have been travelling around all of Australia. They undertook, as I said, that there would be extensive briefings of members of all the parliaments closer to the event - that is, the early part of next year.
Mr Wood: Why wouldn't you present arguments at the beginning? Why do we even need this motion? Is this motion essential?
MR SPEAKER: Chief Minister, may I simply say on the question of briefings that we attempted to have one earlier for members. We propose to have one in the new year.
Mr Wood: Now we are told.
MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, my understanding is that an earlier briefing had to be cancelled because either the members were not available or the people making the briefing were not available. However, they have asked every parliament to pass this motion in this form.
Mr Speaker, if anyone is listening, I would appeal to the Labor Party to respect the spirit of the request that has been made to us and to pass this motion in this form tonight unamended. If it appears that other parliaments are taking a different approach from the one recommended by the Centenary of Federation Committee, I believe it would be appropriate to come back in the first sitting of next year and change the position that the Assembly might take. That would be appropriate. If, however, it does appear to be the case, as I have been told it is the case, that all the parliaments will be sending more or less all of their members to Melbourne for this celebration, the ACT would look foolish indeed to be sending just a delegation of three people - foolish indeed.
Mr Quinlan: You can hear them saying, can't you, "Hey, the ACT only sent ... What do you think?"
MR HUMPHRIES
: Well, I can only say, Mr Speaker, that I think this is a matter we should embrace in the spirit of the celebrations next year. It is an important national celebration. We have an obligation to play our role because we are in a particularly special position in terms of federation. We are the child of federation. I think it would be churlish and inappropriate for us to be potentially the one parliament in Australia not to pass this motion, particularly given our position. If we do not want to go to Melbourne there is nothing to stop any member of this place not going. I guarantee, Mr Speaker, that I, as Chief Minister, will not point a finger across the chamber and say, "Look, the Labor Party is not going," or, "So and so Independent is not going; they are not pulling their
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