Page 1339 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 24 March 2010
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some further negotiations with the Greens party in relation to this bill. However, we have a number of issues with what was contained within the original bill and also within the series of amendments that have been circulated, some as late as last night and again earlier this morning. So the government is not in a position to support this bill today, even at the in-principle stage. However, we do indicate a desire to work with the Greens to try and find a workable solution.
As I indicated yesterday in question time, there are no school closures other than those that were announced as part of the Towards 2020 process back in 2006 that are scheduled at all for this term of the Assembly, so there is no urgency with which to deal with this matter today. It is the government’s view that a workable solution can be found. However, there are a number of elements of the Greens’ bill as it stands and the Greens’ bill as proposed to be amended by the series of amendments that have been circulating in the last 12 to 24 hours that the government simply cannot agree with at this stage.
It is our proposal today to adjourn the debate. We will come back and consider this at a later point, recognising that there is no urgency with which to deal with this matter today. There will be no school closures other than those already slated as part of the Towards 2020 process. Certainly, it is the government’s view that this issue can be resolved and we can reach consensus with other parties on this matter, but the time to do that is not today. It is not the time to do it in a rushed process with amendments circulating as recently as two or three hours ago. That is not the best way to legislate in this area.
It is the government’s view that this debate should be adjourned for today and that we should come back with a more considered view on these matters and have that debate more fully in the months ahead. Mr Corbell will move shortly that we adjourn.
Motion (by Mr Corbell) proposed:
That debate be adjourned.
MS HUNTER (Ginninderra—Parliamentary Convenor, ACT Greens) (10.52): I seek leave to speak on the proposed adjournment.
MR SPEAKER: Ms Hunter is seeking leave to speak again in this debate and not to close it.
Leave granted.
MS HUNTER: Thank you, Mr Speaker, and I thank my colleagues. I just wanted to say that the Greens will not be voting against an adjournment today. I have had some discussions with Minister Barr and I believe that there is goodwill to continue a discussion to look at some ways forward on this particular issue. I do have to note, though, that I am a little disappointed. This has been on the table since December 2008. Although there have been a series of amendments that have been out there only in the last couple of weeks, my office has been engaging very actively with the offices of both Mr Barr and Mr Doszpot in that time.
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