Page 5036 - Week 17 - Tuesday, 11 December 1990
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Another matter which I would like to focus on, Mr Speaker, is an issue concerned with the Greiner Government in New South Wales and the road to the coast, the Kings Highway. It has been the subject of some publicity that the Liberal members of the forum - the south-east forum, I think they call it - have been beating up the argument that it is, in some way, the Federal Government's responsibility that the road is in such poor condition. The fact of the matter is that the real responsibility lies with the New South Wales Government. In fact, it lies with Mr Wal Murray, the famous Minister - or infamous Minister - from New South Wales.
Of course, Mr Cochran, from that electorate just across the border, often seeks to move the blame for the condition of that road from the New South Wales Government to the Federal Government. What is most disturbing is that our own Chief Minister is joining with the Greiner Government to inaccurately voice a position about that road. The fact of the matter is that the proper approach is for the New South Wales Government to reorder its priorities, if it wishes to do anything about the Kings Highway. It is about time that the truth of this matter was made known to the community generally. It is appalling that our Chief Minister would join with the New South Wales Greiner Government in this distortion of the facts. If our Chief Minister wishes to continue with that distortion, he will be exposed for it, as he has been in the last couple of days.
I raise that issue just to give notice that those sorts of activities will not be overlooked by the Labor Opposition in this place; nor will they be overlooked by responsible commentators who are looking at the issue of the Kings Highway. I am certain that, if Mrs Nolan was, in any way, genuinely concerned about the Kings Highway, she, too, would be calling on the Greiner Government to reorder their priorities to ensure that the condition of the road was improved. I do not think she is genuine on this issue; she is playing politics, like the Chief Minister. The fact of the matter is that they will not scream at the Greiner Government to fix that road; they will do nothing and let it be reduced to potholes. However, they will bleat to the Federal Government, which is clearly not responsible for that highway.
Consultative Forum
MR KAINE (Chief Minister) (12.11 am): Mr Speaker, I find it rather incongruous that Mr Berry gets up and talks about distorting the truth. He opened his remarks by saying that the Liberal members of the ACT-New South Wales forum put this matter forward. There was not a dissenting voice in that forum.
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