Page 98 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 24 May 1989
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We will change those standing orders as we need to, but it is our behaviour here that is the most important. I want to suggest that the Federal Parliament is not the model we need to follow, nor is the behaviour I saw in a legislative assembly to which I was first elected 20 years ago this week. That is not a model.
It is no secret that the political processes in Australia are in some disfavour with the community. I think that is inevitable when economic troubles beset the country, but I also believe that the participants bear some responsibility for the disrepute felt by large sections of the community. I believe that the two-party system has served Australia very well over a long period. Nevertheless, the level of abuse that we hear has moved beyond community expectations. I do not know if that level of abuse is more or less than it has been over a long period, but I do know that with the intense media scrutiny of assemblies it is very much better - or perhaps worse - reported.
The vitriolic debate that goes on brings problems. I expect that in this chamber views will be fiercely contested, that on many occasions the debates will be hot, and that on many other occasions there will be agreement. I am not looking for a soft debate, but I am looking for a civil and harmonious debate, a cooperative effort, and that is particularly important for this Assembly. We all know that there were many in the community out there who did not want us to be here. If we are to convince those people that we need this Assembly, we must show by the way we conduct ourselves and carry out our business in this chamber that we are justified.
We are convinced of the need for this Assembly, at least most of us are in this chamber, but we have to convince the community out there. We had, for example, clear evidence of that last week. We know that if we had not had self-government in the Territory we would have lost some $22m. Further, the effect of the Government was shown when we had likely immediate access to some of the money that was temporarily withheld.
I think we can often show in policies and decisions that this Assembly is necessary. I believe we must also show it in the way we go about our business. It has to be a cooperative venture. The Labor Party is aware of that. During the election campaign Rosemary Follett said repeatedly and importantly that the Labor Party supports open and accountable government.
The committee system that we are now establishing, with just a little difficulty, is the key to that accountable government and to the cooperative nature of this chamber. Group decisions will be made and they will be made on a whole range of policies. We will discover together what will happen in this Territory to a very large degree, and I look forward to that procedure.
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