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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 08 Hansard (Thursday, 5 August 2004) . . Page.. 3554 ..

I look forward to being able to debate this bill in the detail stage at the next sitting of the Assembly.

MRS DUNNE: I seek leave to speak again.

Leave granted.

MRS DUNNE: This is an unusual course of action for the Assembly to take but this amendment is important. We need to place on the record what appear to be the failings of this minister, his department and this government in consultation on this important piece of legislation. For most of the week we heard a great deal about what “he said” and what “she said”. The minister said he would come back next week with chapter and verse about what has happened. I do not care about chapter and verse. At the end of the day I want everyone to have had his or her day in court. I want everyone to believe that he or she has had a fair hearing.

The minister said that he would come back next week and tell us what happened on such and such a day. I have mountains of emails from officials informing me of what is supposed to have happened. Today one of those emails was scrunched up and thrown on the floor in the Assembly by someone who said that what was in it was a lie. I do not think that we in this place can adjudicate on that. This amendment will set in train a process that will ensure that everyone with whom the minister said he consulted will be consulted again. Everyone that the minister should have consulted but did not consult will be consulted. The minister will report back to the Assembly so that when we debate this bill in the in-principle stage we will know that those who should have been consulted have had their say. That is what this amendment is about.

Earlier I noticed the Chief Minister wandering around the chamber holding the amendment and saying, “This is outrageous.” It is outrageous because somebody in this place had the audacity to gainsay the Chief Minister who spends his time saying that he is the friend of indigenous people in the ACT. Today in this very place, in answer to a question that was asked by Ms Dundas, he admitted that for three years this government comprehensively failed in relation to one of its key commitments—reporting on indigenous matters. He might now get around to doing what was supposed to have been done every quarter in this Assembly.

Indigenous people in our community have gainsaid this government by stating that they are not happy with their treatment. I talked to a number of people in the indigenous community about this amendment. This morning one of them said to me, “Vicki, that is exactly what we want.” We could adjourn debate on this bill and ask the minister to go back and consult with the community. However, we also need to place on the record the fact that so far consultation has failed. It does not matter whether or not a lot of people sat around in rooms, as no-one communicated or connected.

People have told us different things. We need to reach the stage where we are all singing from one hymn sheet. People might say, “I do not like the tune”, but we will all be singing from one hymn sheet. I cannot be satisfied that this government has consulted with the community. I said earlier that I believe what I have been told is lies. The things that happened today confirm that this government is not open and transparent. What does this government have to hide? Why did the minister continually come to me and say,

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