Page 3656 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 16 October 1990
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suspect. I have already received reports from Western Australia and there has been some snickering about the performance of the Government here as a result of Richard Carleton's report.
Mr Speaker, I get no joy from the Assembly being criticised and made a laughing-stock all over Australia. Do not get me wrong. I think the people who are responsible for the discredit that will be worn by this Assembly are the members opposite. They have to wear it and they ought not whinge about it. The fact of the matter is that they are going to have to lift their game. If the closure of schools goes ahead, if the destruction of the public hospital system goes ahead, if all of their other antics are allowed to go ahead and their performance remains at about the same level, then I expect that there will be more criticism by the media in the future.
The people of the ACT certainly want to be rid of the Government opposite and I think they will do that when the time comes. Meanwhile, if the performance of those opposite does not improve, then the future of self-government in the ACT is somewhat difficult to judge; but it will be more difficult to win back the confidence of the people of the ACT. Mr Speaker, I think that the speech by Dr Kinloch should be regarded as no more than a whinge. I think that he and his comrades opposite have earnt the discredit that they got from that program. They should just cop it and lift their game.
60 Minutes Program : Tourism Awards
MR DUBY (Minister for Finance and Urban Services) (4.43): Mr Speaker, I rise to say a few things. First of all, I think the comments just made by Mr Berry were probably the most churlish we have heard in this Assembly for a long time. I think they do discredit to the ACT community as a whole. Mr Berry's comments, in holding up the report that I think all members of the community agree was a disgraceful report in connection with the ACT and was an insult to the ACT as a whole, were churlish. However, I had no intention of speaking on that particular subject.
I was hoping, Mr Speaker, to use the first available opportunity, following the announcement last Friday of the national tourism awards, to comment generally on the current state of the ACT tourism industry. I think everyone in this Assembly will realise that the business community has had some difficult times this year. The tourism industry, in particular, has found that Australia's economic downturn has led to a downturn in business across the board.
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