Page 679 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 20 March 2018
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This motion should be the time for all of us to come together to reflect and say that this is not good enough. The basic question here is: were the Chief Minister’s comments okay? If you think so, vote against the motion. If you think the comments were not okay, you should support the motion from Mr Coe this morning. I commend this censure motion from Mr Coe because I do not support those comments from Mr Barr.
MS BERRY (Ginninderra—Deputy Chief Minister, Minister for Education and Early Childhood Development, Minister for Housing and Suburban Development, Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, Minister for Women and Minister for Sport and Recreation) (10.57): Again the Canberra Liberals are using this very serious process in the Assembly to pursue their political agenda. Of course, the Chief Minister did give them a free kick on this one, and he said that this morning when he apologised numerous times for the words that he used.
However, it is a poor reflection on them—and more so on their complete lack of consistency in policy ideas or vision for Canberra. There is absolutely nothing of substance coming from them. Last year, in November, I made the offer that if they decided that they truly wanted to pursue opportunities for our city they could get on board, but it seems that will not be the case today.
I heard Ms Lawder talking about seniors and suggesting that the Labor Party does not like them. She is talking about my father, my mother, my aunt, my grandmother, my neighbours, people in my community, people in this Assembly who are gradually getting closer to that age group. I think it is entirely unfair to make an allegation or an accusation like that when she knows that there are older people in our lives.
Members interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Members, please. Mr Hanson, be quiet.
MS BERRY: It is like this has been given to them as an opportunity to bully the Labor Party on this occasion. Only days after the National Day of Action against Bullying—
Mrs Jones: That is how you defend the bullying. Accuse the person objecting of being a bully because you are defending a bully.
MS BERRY: Constant interruptions, snide, sarcastic comments coming from those opposite, continuous interruptions—that is described online as trolling, and in person it is described as bullying. And it is continuing today. It says a lot about the opposition that that is what they actually wanted to come into this place to discuss today. It was an opportunity to have a go at us. That is fine; we will take it and we will continue with the important work of the Assembly.
The Chief Minister has apologised for his comments numerous times. He has apologised to the Labor caucus. He has apologised to the Greens. He has apologised to everybody here today. He has apologised to journalists generally and he has
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