Page 4631 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 19 October 2011
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Mr Coe interjecting—
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mr Coe!
DR BOURKE: or how the electorates ought to be configured, but the principle surely is sound and unarguable. Why should it be up to senators and MPs from Queensland or Tasmania to determine the size of the ACT’s parliament?
Mr Coe interjecting—
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mr Coe!
DR BOURKE: What rationale could there be?
Mr Coe interjecting—
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mr Coe, remain silent.
DR BOURKE: I know that the Liberals are on the public record as saying that they too believe we ought to have the power to fix our own size. But this motion today—
Mr Coe interjecting—
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mr Coe, I will warn you next time.
DR BOURKE: asks that they also unequivocally support the push to abolish the commonwealth’s executive override power, because this is an issue that is important in isolation—fundamentally important. It asks us to say that we believe that we are as mature, trustworthy and capable in our capacity as public officials as those who sit on the government benches, on the opposition benches or on the crossbenches of any state parliament in this country. I believe we are, individually and collectively. I believe our record as a parliament bears out that belief.
Of course there will be those who, for mischievous reasons or out of ignorance, will portray the Brown bill as a stalking horse for individual issues. Mr Seselja has come close to lending credence to that view by accusing Labor and the Greens of being “obsessed” with this particular reform, to the exclusion of other potential reforms of the self-government act.
I do not call it “obsession” to expect this Assembly to focus on an opportunity that is real, actual and imminent, rather than turning away and wistfully hoping that another opportunity might arise at some undefined point in the future. In fact, to reject a real, actual and imminent opportunity for reform like the one in front of us actually gives oxygen to the reactionaries with their conspiracy theories. Why can’t we, in our own parliament and in front of our own community, simply say, “No, this is not about euthanasia or gay marriage or any other single issue; it’s about principle; it’s about democracy”?
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