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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 9 Hansard (21 August) . . Page.. 3017 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

on this matter, Mr Stanhope. Every one of them is being told, "You will support the party policy on this matter"-whatever it is-"and you will vote accordingly on the floor of the Assembly."

Are you telling us, Mr Stanhope, that every member of the Labor Party in the ACT-all 700, 800, 900, 1,000 of them, or whatever the number is-believes in a heroin trial, believes in an injecting place? Do not tell me that they do, because I know they do not. I have friends who belong to the Labor Party and they tell me that they do not believe in these things. I am also told that some of your candidates do not believe in the idea.

Mr Stanhope: They are happy to be held accountable for the position.

MR HUMPHRIES: They are happy to be held accountable.

Mr Stanhope: They are happy to be held accountable for the position and they will not change their minds. They will not say one thing and do something else.

MR SPEAKER: Mr Stanhope, do you want to hear the rest of this debate? Stop interjecting.

MR HUMPHRIES: This is the approach we are going to get from Labor in this debate-win the debate by shouting people down on the floor of the Legislative Assembly when you have the numbers. Do not ask the electorate what they think. The electorate does not matter in this equation. The electorate's views are not important.

Let me turn to Mr Kaine. Mr Kaine said that the Liberals will not respect the result of the referendum. I think I have made it patently clear that we will; that all Liberal members, without exception, will respect the result of this referendum.

Mr Berry: Mr Pratt?

MR HUMPHRIES: Yes. I have asked all Liberal members. All Liberal members have been asked and they have all indicated their agreement. If you do not believe me, you go and ask them.

Mr Kaine went on to say that he did not believe in a referendum. That is an ironic view, because Mr Kaine was elected to this place in 1998 on the platform of supporting referenda to be conducted in the ACT, specifically citizen-initiated referenda.

Mr Stanhope: That was imposed on him, though.

MR HUMPHRIES: Not at all. It was party policy in which Mr Kaine had a chance to be involved. Mr Kaine, to my recollection, never argued against it in the Liberal Party room. In fact, not just to my recollection-

Mr Stanhope: It is only the Labor Party that imposes views?

MR SPEAKER: Order, Mr Stanhope!

Mr Stanhope: Moral bankruptcy is about right.

MR SPEAKER: I warn you, Mr Stanhope.

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