Page 3753 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 22 November 2006

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Mulcahy? Who elected the Governor-General? I do not remember Mr Mulcahy electing the Governor-General. I do not remember any of the residents of the ACT voting for Philip Ruddock. He was not on the ballot papers in this town; nor was John Howard on the ballot papers.

Mr Pratt: Nor was Kirby.

Mrs Dunne: Nor was Mr Kirby, Mr Callinan or any of those people. They can all override the legislation.

MS MacDONALD: That brings me to Mr Mulcahy’s later point about challenges in the High Court with WorkChoices and the Franklin dam case. It seems that Mr Mulcahy has something against camping as well.

Mr Seselja: Go on, address the substantive point.

MS MacDONALD: Thanks, Mr Seselja. If I am looking for debating tips I will not go to you, Mr Seselja, thanks very much.

MR SPEAKER: Order. This is not a conversation; this is a debate.

MS MacDONALD: Yes. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I apologise for being disorderly and responding to their interjections. The difference between the High Court and the Governor-General is quite marked. We are talking about a bench of judges with years of constitutional law experience who are looking at the constitutionality of legislation versus the federal government saying, “No, we do not like this legislation, so, Governor-General, we would like you to overturn it.” That is the difference, Mr Speaker.

I am just trying to see if there is anything I have missed, as I have jumped all over the place with my responses. I go back to the point that I started with. This is a central issue. This is the central issue for this place. It is about our rights. The people of the ACT elected us to this place. Whether we are on the government benches, the opposition benches or the cross benches, we were elected to represent those people and put their points of view forward here. We were elected to do that. We should fight to the death—we should fight tooth and nail—for that right, because it is imperative. What we are talking about is the thin end of the wedge. If we do not fight for that right here, where does it stop, Mr Speaker? I commend the motion to the Assembly.

Question put:

That Mr Stefaniak’s amendment be agreed to.

The Assembly voted—

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