Page 351 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 20 February 1990
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interesting that it did not attempt to contradict the facts. It made no proposal whatsoever as to how the problem might be addressed. It failed even to recognise that we face a significant reduction in revenues by reduction in Commonwealth inputs by June of next year, and it just seemed to assume that a personal attack on my credentials was the answer to the problem.
I am very disappointed in that because I had expected more from the Opposition. I do not mind a bit of personal attack. I can handle that, Mr Speaker. When it is deserved I can certainly handle it, and it is of no concern to me at all when it is not deserved. But the personal attack that the members opposite made on the members of the board was quite offensive. These people are offering their services to this community at no cost; they are highly qualified people; they are people of integrity, both personal and professional. For the Leader of the Opposition to label them as mere lackeys is to be offensive, in my view, to the highest degree. I quote statements such as, "They have their instructions". These people are not going to take on this job with any instructions of the kind implied by the Leader of the Opposition. They are not people of that kind. They are people of high calibre. As I said I took that to be quite offensive, as I am sure the members of the board will. Quite frankly, Mr Speaker, I would have expected better from the Opposition.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
MOTOR VEHICLES (DIMENSIONS AND MASS) BILL 1990
Debate resumed from 13 February 1990, on motion by Mr Duby:
That this Bill be agreed to in principle.
MRS GRASSBY (8.52): I rise to indicate that the Labor Party will support the general terms of the Motor Traffic (Dimension and Mass) Bill. As Mr Duby kindly indicated when he introduced the Bill last Tuesday, it represents the outcome of work which started prior to self-government and on which I did a lot of work as a Minister in the Labor Government. I thank Mr Duby for recognising that.
In Mr Duby's speech he gave some very basic information about what the Bill will do. I would like to go back a step and explain to the Assembly why this Bill is a good idea and why I put considerable energy into working on the Bill and consulting with the community while doing so.
There are two reasons why we should control the weight of heavy vehicles. The first and the most important one is safety. Clearly trucks and other heavy vehicles such as buses can carry very different types and sizes of loads at different times. In some cases a heavy vehicle can carry a
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