Page 867 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 24 February 2009
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MR SESELJA: No. If you are saying to me that either this person did not come into my office or he is a liar or he does not exist or, in fact, the people quoted in the Canberra Times do not exist or that John Thistleton is a liar—because that is essentially what you are implying—then it is absolutely outrageous for you to say that we cannot take up this issue.
I will put the counterpoint. Table in here all the people who have got a house under the land rent scheme. There are none. We know that a lot of people have signed up and all of them have been frustrated. A number of them have expressed that concern. I think Mr Stanhope wants to name and shame them or in some way vilify them.
Ms Gallagher: He wants to write to them.
MR SESELJA: He wants to write to them. It is fascinating, Mr Speaker, that they chose not to come to the government. It is fascinating that they chose to come to the opposition and the Canberra Times because they have no faith in this government to get it done. When they say they have been contacted by no-one perhaps that should not surprise us because people who have been led astray by this scheme do not feel that this government will listen to them. They feel that the only way they can actually get any action is through the media and through the opposition.
This is a ridiculous motion that impinges on the privacy of these particular individuals. If the counter is that these people do not exist, there is no-one who feels that they have been led astray, there is no-one who has been adversely affected by this land rent scheme, the government should have the courage to say that these people do not exist.
We have already heard the Chief Minister say that no-one is out of pocket, but they should have the courage to say that no-one has been hurt by this flawed land rent scheme. They should say that we are all liars because no-one has actually come to us. They should say that the journalist in question is a liar. They should say that the person who is quoted in there either does not exist or is lying.
It is an absolutely ridiculous assertion and it is designed to distract attention from how badly this land rent scheme has eventuated and the fact that not one person—not one family—has been helped by this scheme to date and not one lender has provided finance to one family under this scheme to date. That is their embarrassment. The motion to suspend the standing orders is a ridiculous motion and we will not be supporting it.
MR BARR (Molonglo—Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Children and Young People, Minister for Planning and Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation) (2.57): The fundamental point that the opposition need to confront in the wording of their question is that, if they are demanding an apology from the Chief Minister to someone, they must be prepared to give some indication of who those people are.
To address Ms Hunter’s point, it need not be on the public record in this place. If Mr Coe could provide the details of the personal conversation he had, that might ease the concerns of the Greens in relation to this matter.
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