Page 4658 - Week 15 - Wednesday, 7 December 1994
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It is a sensible motion. It did not need all the hyperbole that went around from the Liberals, which, of course, demonstrates their frailty on the matter.
Mr Stevenson: What is that, Wayne?
MR BERRY: Mr Stevenson is starting to look a bit frail too.
Mr Stevenson: Ha, ha, ha!
MR BERRY: The maniacal laugh. We always hear that when you are a bit nervous. We will find out what you have been up to, in due course. Mr Deputy Speaker, this is an issue of principle. For two Assemblies there has been much criticism of this place. In the last week we again had criticism of this place. Some of us - Trevor Kaine and I, and many others - have been working hard to bring credit to this place. When we saw the loopy law-makers at work a week or so ago on this issue one could have said, "Mrs Carnell, it would have been better if you had given your undivided attention to this issue". If she had given it her undivided attention, would she not have done a better job? Maybe she would have. That is the obvious answer.
It boils down to whether you support, in principle, putting all of your efforts into the body politic after being elected or whether you think it is quite okay for politicians to work in a spare time job. Can you imagine a motor mechanic, for example, out there putting rings and bearings in motor cars between sitting times and then popping in here for the sitting dates? Would that be all right? If an electrician was out there between sitting times putting in a few power points, would that be all right? You can conjure up in your own mind a whole lot of events where people might be doing part-time jobs. People seem to think that it might not be all right to get out and undertake a blue-collar activity in your spare time, but it would be okay to run a professional career in your spare time, because that is a far more honourable thing to do. Both are wrong.
In this Assembly you are paid to do a job. The Remuneration Tribunal has determined a salary for full-time work, and the people of the ACT community deserve to get your undivided attention. Why is it that there is so much nervousness amongst the Liberals on this issue? How much time do you spend on other activities? I do not know. We have Mrs Carnell saying that she spends 10 hours a week or something, or works at weekends during the shift penalty hours because it is too dear for her to employ other employees. If that is the way she wants to operate, that is fine; but you have to make up your mind about whether you want to be in business or in politics. I do not think there is a good mix between the two. I think it is quite appropriate to separate yourself from all of those things and to deal with the matters that you are elected to deal with and are paid handsomely for.
MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: Before I call the next speaker I would remind members of standing order 55, which says:
All imputations of improper motives and all personal reflections on Members shall be considered highly disorderly.
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