Page 1259 - Week 05 - Thursday, 4 June 2020
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Every single jurisdiction has had to come up with definitions, has shared definitions. Every jurisdiction has made definitions. And in every jurisdiction people have asked questions and those questions have been answered. I absolutely commend Access Canberra, the health protection service and the economic development part of the Chief Minister’s directorate for the work that they have done with industry to answer those questions and to ensure that the advice is as clear as it can be for Canberra businesses.
On the one hand, Mr Coe has said he wants us to take a tailored approach that will suit the ACT. That is exactly what we have done. We have taken a comprehensive approach across a range of industries and sectors that enable lots of people in the ACT to start doing the things that they appreciate and enjoy. On the other hand, he just wants us to follow the New South Wales government and whatever influenced the New South Wales government’s position. In New South Wales you can play the pokies but you cannot play squash. We did not think it was a reasonable approach that you could play the pokies but you could not play squash.
I have been talking to constituents. I have also been talking to people in the community. I spoke to someone recently who was wondering why her two daughters, who are ranked squash players, could not go and play squash with one another. Now they can in the ACT. They could not do that in Queanbeyan.
Mr Coe: Did they lobby?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: They did not influence the decision, but this was their experience. And I am relaying their experience to the Assembly.
As the Chief Minister has said, the numerous factual errors in Mr Coe’s motion and the way that he speaks really indicate that he is either ill informed, has not bothered to inform himself or he is just engaging in post-truth politics, which we know is a favourite pastime of conservative oppositions and, indeed, sometimes conservative governments.
Mrs Dunne: On a point of order, the accusation that Mr Coe is indulging in post-truth politics is an accusation that he lied and it should be withdrawn.
MADAM ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Ms Cody): Sorry, Mrs Dunne, could you repeat what you said?
Mrs Dunne: I would like the accusation that Mr Coe indulges in post-truth politics to be considered an accusation of lying and require the minister to withdraw it.
Ms Cheyne: On the point of order, Wikipedia defines post-truth politics as:
… a political culture in which debate is framed largely by appeals to emotion disconnected from the details of policy, and by the repeated assertion of talking points to which factual rebuttals are ignored.
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