Page 638 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 22 February 2012
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his last chance again. What will it actually take? How low are the standards from those opposite that they will allow this kind of language to be used against members of our community?
It reflects on the disdain that the ACT Labor Party has for the people of Tuggeranong. Of course, by being backed again by the Greens, it shows the disdain that the Labor Party and the Greens have for the people of Tuggeranong, for older Canberrans and for volunteers—those good people who give up their time to serve the community.
There is an easy way for the Greens to show that they do not condone this, and that is to support this motion. What would be so wrong about that? Ms Bresnan can go down to the next Tuggeranong Community Council and say why she is voting against this motion, why she will not support this motion. She can go to them and say, “I didn’t support this motion,” and it would beg the question: “What was so wrong with the motion? What would be wrong with causing Mr Hargreaves to apologise for his behaviour?” That is what Mr Smyth is doing. We have seen this pattern of behaviour time and time again. The people of Tuggeranong deserve better. Their representatives on the Tuggeranong Community Council deserve better.
We saw a wider slur as well. Val Jeffery, for instance, was particularly singled out by Mr Hargreaves in his rant. Val Jeffery has, I think, more courage and integrity in his little finger than any member of the Labor Party. He has served his community so well, particularly under fire during the 2003 bushfires and the actions he took. For him to be slurred in the way that he was by Mr Hargreaves I think is disgraceful. Again, it shows the disdain that the Labor Party has for the people of Tharwa, the people of Tuggeranong and the community more broadly. Anyone who disagrees with the Labor Party can expect to be slurred and can expect that kind of behaviour to be endorsed by this government and the Chief Minister.
Recently we have seen senior members of the Labor Party here in the ACT using abusive language against female press secretaries in the Liberal Party. We have seen the abusive language and Ms Gallagher defending that and explaining it away: “No, that doesn’t mean what you think it means.” If you are going to use abusive language, you should be prepared to be held accountable for it.
Mr Hargreaves has decided that it is okay for him in one of his rants to come in here again and slur the community, slur the Tuggeranong Community Council, slur Val Jeffery, slur older Canberrans and slur volunteers. That is what he has chosen to do. We are seeking through this motion today to hold him to account, to say that, in regard to this standard of behaviour which we have seen over years and years from Mr Hargreaves, he has to be called to account by the Assembly. Anyone who votes against this is, of course, in their own way, endorsing that kind of behaviour. What could you possibly have against saying to Mr Hargreaves, on behalf of the Assembly: “We think your behaviour was inappropriate. We believe you should now apologise to the Assembly and take action to rectify that poor behaviour”?
Again, we will have a situation where it appears that the Labor Party and the Greens will be getting together to give him cover for his poor behaviour. They will not hold him to account. They will not hold him to a reasonable standard of behaviour. In
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