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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 06 Hansard (Thursday, 24 June 2004) . . Page.. 2721 ..

Mr Smyth gave Mr Corbell an opportunity to correct the record, for him to come in and say, “Look, I had a whole pile of papers which I thought were from Hansard. I am sorry; they weren’t”. If he had done that on 1 April or soon after 1 April—on any of the sitting days between then and now—we would not be here tonight.

Again, as Ms Dundas said, only when you are confronted with the cold, hard reality that your job is on the line—and your job is on the line; it is not easy—do you admit your mistake. I do not think “full and complete disclosure” and “correcting the record at the earliest possible time” in any way reflect this minister’s action. This is what we are about. The earliest possible opportunity was very soon after the 1 April sitting. Correcting the record has been done grudgingly tonight when Mr Corbell was facing a want of confidence motion. We have to support Mr Smyth’s motion because only when you are dragged kicking and screaming to the precipice do we have a change of behaviour. This happens serially. It happened last year over the privileges issue. At this stage we really have to say, “Enough is enough.”

MR QUINLAN (Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Business and Tourism, and Minister for Sport, Racing and Gaming) (10.00): Mr Speaker, I believe that the people of Canberra are sick of confrontationist politics. “I think they are, quite rightly, tired of negative opposition nit-picking and fault finding.” These are not my words. These are the second and third sentences of the inaugural speech of Mr Smyth on the day he ascended to the leadership of the opposition. How times have changed! After the motion was put this morning I had trouble following Mr Smyth’s speech because it was very detailed. I did not get the wow factor, the crunch. All I heard was numbers going here and there, and, “He said” and, “I said.” Mr Corbell has been accused of misquoting Mr Smyth because he did not say it in the house, but he still said it, apparently.

Mr Smyth: Check the policy.

MR QUINLAN: We will have to check it. I have read Mr Corbell’s explanation—the speech that he delivered—which seems to me to be fairly reasonable. There is now an amendment on the table and Mr Corbell has had the grace and the courage to stand and recognise that he may have upset some people some of the time. Therefore, I do not believe that we should inflame this debate from this point on.

However, I would lay down a challenge, given the level of detail in that which Mr Smyth has said. Let me hark back to the previous Assembly. I remember several occasions on which, on this side of the house, Mr Smyth—only when caught out—stood in this place and had to withdraw and apologise for giving incorrect figures. I lay a challenge to Mr Smyth: Mr Smyth, will you resign as Leader of the Opposition if this side of the house can table inconsistencies in what you have said in and out of this place? I leave that one with you.

Let me refer to one example. It is the hoary chestnut of a $344 million deficit. It became a bit of a running joke, because some of us have a sense of humour. It is an untrue statement. It was a figure arrived at during the Carnell government that included abnormal items. Both inside and outside of this house, as I recall—and I have not checked Hansard so it is just the best of recollection—that figure has been used consistently by members of the now opposition—I think including Mr Smyth. Mr Smyth,

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