Page 128 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 11 February 2015
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community for some time. I will endeavour to resist playing the who-touched-it-first game. Mrs Dunne has decided she needs to say she touched it first. I think a check of the record would show that the federal member for Fraser, Andrew Leigh, might be the first to have raised these matters. Regardless, we are all endeavouring to be on the same page today, in spite of every little attempt to move away from bipartisanship.
The Canberra Liberals cannot even bring themselves to acknowledge that, over 25 years, governments of both political persuasions have made significant investments in Belconnen. They cannot even bring themselves to acknowledge that, and that says it all. They are a party permanently grounded in an opposition mentality with no sense at all that the government, which at one point in time they were, could have contributed over time to investing in the Belconnen community. The ACT government and this Assembly cannot acknowledge that there has been significant investment by the ACT government into Belconnen over many years. It is a pretty sad state of affairs, but that is the position. Mr Hanson and his Canberra Liberals cannot vote for that. There you go.
We will put forward the positive case that the Assembly notes the significant investment made by the ACT government into Belconnen over many years. That is worth supporting, like the rest of Dr Bourke’s motion. In relation to Mrs Dunne’s amendment, the government cannot support omitting paragraph (1)(a), but it is happy to support the insertion of new paragraph (1)(d). If Mrs Dunne seeks to move that separately, the government can support it. Subject to the failure of Mrs Dunne’s complete amendment, I am happy to move such an amendment subsequent to that to reflect those words if that can achieve the bipartisanship those opposite are seemingly so desperate to achieve today. Pettiness will not allow them to support paragraph (1)(a), but I will overcome pettiness and be prepared to support proposed new paragraph (1)(d) with a view to achieving bipartisanship this morning.
Mr Hanson: Very kind!
MR BARR: Well, it is a bigger step of bipartisanship than you are prepared to show, Mr Hanson. You cannot even bring yourself to acknowledge the work—
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Through the chair, Mr Barr.
MR BARR: Madam Deputy Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition cannot even bring himself to acknowledge the work of his colleague two chairs down, from his time in government, in the last millennium I think it was—it is that long ago.
This motion is important, and it is important that we put a unanimous view today. In spite of considerable provocation from the Leader of the Opposition and the Canberra Liberals, we will reach across the chamber in the spirit of bipartisanship and support one part of Mrs Dunne’s amendment. That reflects what I understand to be the unanimous view of the Assembly, and it would be petty and silly to—
Members interjecting—
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