Page 4904 - Week 13 - Thursday, 2 November 2017
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I know that not all members opposite feel this way and, indeed, I respect all their views, even those that I do not agree with, but all Canberrans must know how divided this opposition is, how incapable they will be, just like their federal counterparts, of having any ambition or vision for our city or our community and that, no matter what, they cannot put forward a united front because there simply is very little that unites them.
Today’s motion is a revealing act of desperation as cover for a party that has nothing to offer one year out from an election which they comprehensively lost, an opposition that mocks members in this chamber for a mispronunciation, who are not interested in hearing answers, on the one hand treating it like it is all a game and on the other hand accusing the government of the most serious actions.
The opposition has overreached. The opposition leader has misused his position to make one of the most serious and unfounded allegations he could make against a chief minister. The Chief Minister has strongly addressed and refuted those allegations, which the opposition continue to ignore. When this debate is over, I look forward to working with my colleagues and the community, getting on with the job of delivering what we promised for Canberrans under the leadership of our Chief Minister.
MR RAMSAY (Ginninderra—Attorney-General, Minister for Regulatory Services, Minister for the Arts and Community Events and Minister for Veterans and Seniors) (12.00): Madam Speaker—
Mrs Jones interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Sorry, minister, just resume your seat for a moment. Mrs Jones, no conversation and interjecting across the floor. Minister Ramsay has the floor.
MR RAMSAY: Madam Speaker, last week the opposition was quoted as saying, “Enough’s enough.” They may be about the only two words that have been spoken in this whole area with which I can readily agree. Enough is enough. It is time for us as an Assembly to move beyond the stunts and to move beyond the desperation that is now being regularly peddled by the Canberra Liberals.
A motion of no confidence in the Chief Minister is the most serious that can be considered by the Assembly and yet, two days after giving notice of the motion, the current Leader of the Opposition said that he was still putting together the materials on which they would rely. We have seen question time used this week as a desperate grab to obtain documents which amount to little more than a fishing expedition.
This is not a motion for a person to move and then go hunting for information to back it up. Canberrans deserve higher respect than that. And yet, respect is not something which has been afforded to the people of Canberra by the Liberals. In this place we have an opposition that does not believe in evidence or policy.
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