Page 2688 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 12 August 2015
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walks away with a win-win. Be it Telopea school, be it the local community, be it Mocca, be it DHA or the Canberra Services Club, we want to make sure there is a win-win. I am sure that that is an outcome that can be achieved if we in this place, and particularly the government, listen and consult. Certainly we have been discussing this, through Mr Doszpot, with both the local community and the Canberra Services Club with whom we have been in communication.
This brings me then to the detail of the motion and the amendments. That has been well litigated by Mr Doszpot and others. But we find ourselves in an odd situation, because what we often find in this place—and the community is seeing it today—is that Mr Rattenbury will walk both sides of the fence. He will come to us, he will go to members of the community, he will say, “I am listening. I want to sound reasonable. This is what I am proposing. I am balanced. I will do whatever Andrew Barr tells me.”
That is what we see in this place, Madam Speaker, as you well know, time and time again. We see the Greens member of this Assembly trying to sound eminently reasonable but always, when it comes to the vote, when it comes to what matters, doing what his Labor masters tell him to do. And we have seen that in this chamber dozens of times, if not over 100 times. And members of the community are seeing that today.
The amendment that Mr Doszpot has moved contains the exact words to the letter that was pushed by Mr Rattenbury yesterday. Last night he was out there in the community and in this place with the Liberals saying, “This is what we want.” Mr Doszpot received that and said, “I think that it is a solid amendment. It is what the community is calling for and we will accept that. We will agree with Mr Rattenbury.” Mr Rattenbury is going out in the community saying, “This is what the community wants.” And my understanding is the community was very happy with that process.
What has happened in the intervening period, of course, is what always happens in this place. He then gets together with Minister Barr. You can imagine the conversation, “Shane, mate, you’ve got your office with a million dollars in it. You’ve got all of your sparkly bits that you need. Remember light rail, mate. We’re giving you light rail. We’ll get some solar plants going for you. We’ll get some solar going, some wind. Don’t you worry about that.”
Mr Barr: On a point of order, Madam Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition has just implied that the Greens member can be bought, has sought to impugn the nature of Minister Rattenbury’s character in a most unedifying way.
MADAM SPEAKER: Can we stop the clock, please.
Mr Barr: That accusation contained within his previous statement is unparliamentary.
MR HANSON: Madam Speaker, on the point of order, I am not doing any such thing. There is clearly a political negotiation occurring, as it does at all times. Indeed, there is a political negotiation called the Greens-Labor parliamentary agreement where the two sides of politics have negotiated and agreed what outcomes there would be. I do
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