Page 3059 - Week 08 - Thursday, 16 August 2018
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
Senators reneged on positions that they had told their electors they would be voting for. Senator Burston is a case in point. I have seen a letter that Senator Burston wrote to a constituent saying, “Yes, I will be supporting this.” It was unequivocal. And then to turn around! What is their excuse?
Many people have contacted me in the last 15 hours. More people have contacted me in the last 15 hours, actually, than the number of people who contacted me in the 15 hours after I was elected. I want to pay tribute to these Canberrans whose rights were denied last night, who were otherwise rendered voiceless, by giving them a voice here today.
One person said:
Please don’t give up on this, Tara! This is so important.
Another said:
I thought politicians were there to represent the community not themselves—unfortunately this yet again proves this is not the case. This is why I’m losing faith in the whole institution.
Another said:
This is not democratic! If we can’t decide for ourselves then we live in a dictatorship.
Another said:
We will not forget or forgive those people who deny our rights.
And yet another:
Why the rights of territorians could possibly be a religious or conscience issue is difficult to comprehend.
Another person, an outsider to the ACT, said:
It’s disappointing … to see how this has been framed as a vote on voluntary euthanasia, rather than a vote to restore a right for territories to choose in the same way states can.
Another said, with respect to Senator Seselja:
I’m devastated we have a senator who isn’t fighting for the rights of the ACT to legislate the same as the states.
Another said:
There is no rational reason for denying the ACT rights legislated in every State. Seselja’s betrayal is no surprise. His career has shown he is without vision, is a
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video