Page 5759 - Week 15 - Thursday, 10 December 2009
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Mr Coe: “You’ve got to take the planning out of politics” as well.
MS LE COUTEUR: That was my next one, Mr Coe. The list continues: “keeping the government accountable”; an adjournment speech that sounds like the member is simply just reading out the Yellow Pages; “my enormous brain”; “the argy-bargy of politics”; “I will have to take that on notice”; the City News being quoted as an authoritative source; and “a drive to cut red tape” or “microeconomic reform”.
Then I thought there were a few that are slightly harder, and maybe you get two points for these ones: Mr Stanhope not actually noticing the Speaker telling him his time has expired; Madam Assistant Speaker telling an MLA to “shut up”; Mr Hargreaves suggesting another member of the Assembly might be a rodent or another burrowing creature; someone in the Assembly wearing a more colourful outfit than Mrs Dunne; or Mr Stanhope telling the Assembly how much he loves trees and chickens.
Then, for a special bonus section, we could have 100 points if we had, say: Mr Hargreaves and Mr Coe slapping a high five; the Liberal Party congratulating the government on their prudent financial management; or, in the spirit of equality, the government congratulating the opposition on their prudent financial management.
Now, I also thought of an instant win in this game—I am really looking forward to this one: a member presenting their question without notice in the form of either a riddle or a cryptic crossword, or a haiku maybe even better, to fit in with time requirements.
This, of course, is not the complete list of point-scoring opportunities for the game, and I look forward to the admin and procedure committee filling in the small gaps in this. It might be tabled in the form of a notifiable or a disallowable instrument. I would suggest that the standing order would say that once you reach 1,000 points—which would have to be verified by the chief attendant; no cheating allowed in this—you cry “bingo!”, there would be balloons from the ceiling, a large chocolate cake would appear in the middle and we would all get the chance to stop and enjoy ourselves, which is what I hope we do for the time until we sit again in February.
MR COE (Ginninderra) (6.29): It is a pleasure to be here at the end of the first full year for this Assembly. Being a member is definitely unlike any other job. In some ways, I think everyone in the community is prepared for it; in other ways, absolutely nobody is prepared for it. In some ways, I think living in a community and having views and having a passion and being able to listen to others is simply enough, but in other ways, there is not much that can prepare you for representing tens of thousands of people in this place. It is a unique privilege and one that I am very much enjoying.
I will say on a broader matter of philosophy that I do think it is important that we do not overreach into the lives of our constituents by over legislating. We are here to represent, not control, the lives of our constituents, and, to that end, I support returning more money to citizens through tax cuts and limiting the role of government. That is something I will certainly be working towards next year and in future years.
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