Page 1266 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 11 May 1993
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Mr Lamont: Your leader has been struck with a new vision and it is going to be a shire council. You have just knocked it back.
MR KAINE: I made the point that there are some different views about where we should be going. Of course there are.
Mr Lamont: You are saying that we should not go to a council.
MR KAINE: I did not say that at all. I said that there are some major difficulties if we change route. One of them is the question, as I said, of who represents us at forums at the Federal level. If we are going to change direction there are major issues that have to be determined. That is the point that I made and I stand by that. I do not resile from it one bit. But when it comes down to doing what is right for the Territory - - -
Mr Lamont: "I have almost retrieved the position".
MR KAINE: I am prepared to put my money where my mouth is. Why do you not do the same? Why do you not put your money where your mouth is when it comes to closing a few schools? You have a major problem with your education budget, but you are still standing on the moral high ground saying, "We will not close any schools". You have closed one already, let us be clear, and I have no doubt that when the pressure is really on and you have to really find the money in your education budget you will suddenly come around to the realisation that a few schools have to go. That is why the Auditor-General is starting to look at the school system. That will give you the justification for changing your mind. So do not stand on the moral high ground with me about closing schools. I do not accept your arguments. You are taking a very equivocal position. We can debate this at some length, but I do not have the time to do it now.
Legislative Assembly Anniversary
MR STEVENSON (10.20): I felt it important that I stand on this anniversary of 11 May 1989 because, if I do not do it, who will put the position? I think the Bill that has just gone through is perhaps an indication, a microcosm, of a lot of what has happened since the Assembly came into being. It started the way many Bills start, with no consultation with the people that are being affected by it. Indeed, what a marvellous parallel for self-government itself! It also involved greater control of the population, telling people what they can do and what they cannot do. Indeed, what an interesting parallel over this four years! There was a lot of division, a lot of quite heavy name-calling. There was a great deal of time spent and, in the end, we sort of maintained the status quo. In other words, if we had not been here nothing would have happened anyway; but because we were here this was all done at great cost and concern to the people of Canberra.
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