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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 14 Hansard (10 December) . . Page.. 5154 ..

MR HARGREAVES: Mr Speaker, they are not providing anything unique to the ACT.

Mr Smyth: They're providing the only thing to the ACT.

MR HARGREAVES: All they are doing is providing a party-somewhere to sit on the lawn, listen to some music and watch the fireworks go up. What is unique about it? What is different about the National Capital Committee's party when you compare it to the NCA's one? What is different about it? Nothing, absolutely nothing. The actions of this government are sending a message to these sorts of people. We are not going to put up with being a photocopy of the NCA. What the minister is saying is: you come up with something which is ACT-centric and we will fund it.

Mr Smyth: It is.

MR HARGREAVES: "It is,"says Mr Smyth. Did he respond and say what is different about it? Nothing is different about it, except perhaps some of his mob going along and joining their federal mates and having a free sausage. However, I have news for you. Federal mates are not going to be there. They are going to be back in their constituencies.

Mr Speaker, if these people opposite want to have something specific to the ACT, unique to the ACT, they will agree with the actions of this minister, support the actions of this minister, and support the restructuring of those people who are going to be providing us with an Australia Day celebration which can mean something to the people of the ACT. This latest little turnout is just a big dummy spit.

Mr Smyth: How many years have you been doing it?

MR HARGREAVES: That is a big, insightful question.

MR SPEAKER: Make your comments through the chair. Mr Smyth, stop interjecting.

MR HARGREAVES: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. That was a rhetorical question. How many years have we been doing it? Let me ask you: how many years have you attended it? I would suggest to you about seven. Ever since you got elected to this place you have trotted along there to shake the babies and kiss the hands, or have I got that wrong?

The action of the government is saying to this committee that is not delivering for the people of the ACT. You come up with something in the next 12 months that delivers to the people in the ACT and we will cop it. I urge the minister to have nothing to do with that committee and create another committee which is a creature of the people of this community, because nobody on that committee, as far as I am concerned, represents me or anybody I know. I can tell you, Mr Speaker, that I do not go to that particular one because I do not like going to two parties on consecutive days that do exactly the same thing. Mr Speaker, I urge this Assembly to toss this motion out because it is a load of emotional claptrap.

MR CORNWELL (8.17): It is a little difficult to know where to start in responding to Mr Hargreaves; so I will not bother. Mr Hargreaves, on the face of it, put up an argument that would appear to be, well, arguable. However, I think it was Ms Dundas who gave

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