Page 38 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 23 May 1989
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
MR SPEAKER: Yes, I would agree in this case, Mr Berry. The point of order is upheld. Mr Collaery, please refrain from casting aspersions on the actions of the Assembly in the past sittings.
MR COLLAERY: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I merely refer to the voting in the Assembly, here when the vote was, of course, 10 to seven.
Mr Speaker, the primary function of an opposition is to seek to defeat the government. I suggest that there are doubts in this Assembly whether the team led by Mr Kaine is really serious about trying to defeat this Government. There are other functions: to scrutinise, criticise, and suggest changes to legislation; to examine expenditure; to seek information on government policy and pursue grievances and to monitor government administration. The Rally is not convinced that this Assembly is well served in the arrangement reached here on 11 May. The role of an opposition is to pursue those things I mentioned. There is clearly a degree of cooperation between, in particular, the Leader of the Liberal team here and the Deputy Chief Minister. That is evident to all who live in the building above us.
That, I suggest, Mr Speaker, is not consistent with the concept of opposition. That is entirely consistent with the idea that the party machines in the final analysis, when they are beaten finally by a community group, will get together to survive. We see that example here, and we expect and hope that the law will intercede to ensure that the people of Canberra have an adequate voice in this Assembly, can raise their voice when they see fit and not have it monitored and tactically altered by the functions of two of the groups in this Assembly.
MS FOLLETT (Chief Minister) (3.29): At the heart of this debate is the question whether the Legislative Assembly is an appropriate body to determine which of the parties represented within it should be regarded as the official Opposition. In fact, there are three issues raised: firstly, does the Assembly have the power to determine the official Opposition; secondly, is it democratically qualified to do so; and, thirdly, why is there no precedent in other Australian parliaments for the election of the Opposition leader?
An examination of these three issues will reveal the poverty of claims that the Assembly or the Executive has acted improperly or illegally in relation to this matter. There is no doubt that the Legislative Assembly for the ACT has the necessary power to determine the identity of the official Opposition. Subsection 21(1) of the ACT (Self-Government) Act provides that the Assembly may make standing rules and orders with respect to the conduct of business.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .