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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 3 Hansard (6 March) . . Page.. 611 ..

MR STANHOPE (continuing):

I have also indicated that the department will have a look at our sentencing laws and our practices. I am interested that the shadow Attorney actually has some similar views about the need to look at sentencing. Heaven forbid, of course, that the Attorney would propose a review of sentencing options or the need for sentencing guidelines. Heaven forbid that anybody in the Liberal Party would ever support a review.

Yet, here we have the shadow Attorney suggesting that he would like us to have a look at sentencing guidelines. A review, shadow Attorney, for goodness sake! Show some courage, Bill, and just do it. Do not think about it, do not worry about the consequences of it, just do it mate. Do not get expert advice, do not actually ask somebody to look at it, do not consult, just do it mate. This is the new Gary Humphries mantra: just get out there, beat the chest and do it. You do not need the public service, and you do not even need to bother consulting them.

Mr Smyth: You were beating your chest on 2CC this morning about how tough you were.

MR STANHOPE: I was. It is interesting, actually.

Mr Smyth: It was Jon Stanhope sticking it to Richard Pernot, telling him how tough he was because he was beating his chest yesterday.

MR STANHOPE: That is right. I do not have much time, so I will conclude on this point. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition is actually urging me to draw attention to one of the issues that I did raise on the Richard Pernot show this morning. Of course, that was the fact that the Leader of the Opposition has criticised me for arranging for a submission to be made to the Remuneration Tribunal in relation to the circumstances in which members of this place can take cars. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition wants me to raise this matter here, and I will do that.

I know I should not respond, Mr Speaker, but I will. Yes, Mr Smyth it is true that I have asked the Chief Minister's Department to make a submission to the Remuneration Tribunal with a view to determining whether there should be some guidelines that control the basis on which members of this place get their great big cars. This matter did revolve around the fact that Mrs Dunne did ask for a bigger car, as a result of her family circumstances. There is a legitimate question here-whether or not the extra $300 or so a month that the taxpayers are paying as a result of such situations should be contributed by members themselves.

One has to ask, why is it that the Leader of the Opposition and Mrs Dunne would not want a review into that matter? Why would Mr Humphries criticise that as a review? Does he just want me to do it? Did he want me to just say, "Mrs Dunne, if you want this big, flash car, which actually costs-

MR SPEAKER: Chief Minister, relevance.

Mr Smyth: Relevance, Mr Speaker.

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