Page 4763 - Week 15 - Wednesday, 7 December 1994
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
ADJOURNMENT
Motion (by Mr Berry) proposed:
That the Assembly do now adjourn.
Assembly Member
MR STEVENSON (6.52): I wish to announce that I will not be standing for the election in February next year. That is some bad news and some good news. The bad news is that I will not be in the Assembly encouraging democratic principles. The good news is that I will be elsewhere. It was interesting that Mr Berry brought on his motion this morning to talk about second jobs and that during the chat he was saying, "Where have you been?". He later accused me of not answering the question, so I thought I would answer him now. I must admit that it has been a privilege over the last two or three months to be able to speak in Melbourne, Perth, Byron Bay and Canberra. I think all of us in our life have things that we particularly love to do. I must admit that this is what I love to do more than anything else.
For nearly three years I have thought about leaving the Assembly, but I considered that that was probably not a fair thing to do as I had been elected for a three-year term. But, now that I do not need to stand for another three years, I think it is time to move on. I certainly will not ever forget my major concern that the Constitution means something and that this form of government that we have in the ACT is perhaps not the best form, for all those reasons that I have so often mentioned. If there is a High Court challenge any time, I will be more than happy to contribute to that, although the cost is quite out of my range at the moment. The other matter is, of course, citizens-initiated referenda. I will be continuing to support it quite strongly. Naturally enough, I never speak anywhere without mentioning it.
It has been a great honour to serve Canberrans as an elected representative during the last nearly six years. It is an honour that, obviously, is given to only a very small percentage of the population. I have done my best to serve as I saw fit; to stand for the Constitution; to represent the people; and to attempt to discover the majority expressed will of the people, as best I could. While I will no longer be serving in the Assembly - - -
Mr Berry: Have you been running this business out of your office? That is what I want to know.
Mr Moore: What will you do? Tell us what you will do.
MR STEVENSON: I will certainly be serving in the wider community.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .