Page 457 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 8 March 2011
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It seems too hard for some and too big an opportunity for those that would seek to make a point or to run a position or a debate around and about euthanasia, gay marriage and other things potentially in relation to which they have a personal position of opposition to avoid. It is being done by media, socially conservative commentators and socially conservative politicians—of all persuasions, I acknowledge, including, regrettably, some of my federal Labor colleagues.
This is a simple matter of principle. It does not benefit the debate. It demeans the debate to treat it as a mini referendum on issues such as gay marriage or euthanasia. It demeans the debate. It allows us not to focus on the issue of principle but to simply say, “We all know what Bob Brown’s agenda is.” It demeans the debate. It demeans the debate to seek to actually deflect it to issues of gay marriage, euthanasia or, indeed, the operations of the Greens party to suit a personal predilection to oppose all of those and to not focus on the fundamental responsibility of protecting our democracy and sticking up for the people of the ACT.
MR SESELJA (Molonglo—Leader of the Opposition) (10.55): I move the amendment circulated in my name:
Omit all words after “That this Assembly”, substitute:
“(1) supports the rights of people of the ACT to legislate on their own behalf upon matters within their legislative jurisdiction under the Constitution of Australia;
(2) supports the formation of a broad public consultation forum to discuss and debate changes requested to the Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988 as raised by the Assembly, the community and other stakeholders; and
(3) calls on the Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs to:
(a) recommend against the adoption of the Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Amendment (Disallowance and Amendment Power of the Commonwealth) Bill 2010, currently before it; and
(b) recommend a comprehensive review of the Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988 to give proper autonomy to the ACT Legislative Assembly, to be conducted having regard to detailed community consultation.”.
The amendment that I have moved to Mr Stanhope’s motion is similar to amendments we have moved in this place before. There is a fair amount of deja vu about this debate. We are having it again in this place. We are again putting forward the proposition, through this amendment, that this narrow focus, which is the obsession of the Labor Party and the Greens, is not the way to go. It is counterproductive, it does not consider all the issues, it does not bring the community along with us and it ignores the community.
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