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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 7 Hansard (20 June) . . Page.. 2003 ..

MR BERRY: Mr Humphries has been his usual brave self. He has taken the dump, the hospital pass. He is the patsy to peddle this crazy policy. Mrs Carnell and Mr De Domenico are lying low on this one. Mr De Domenico, the deregulator, and - - -

Mr Moore: Except that he has now introduced the legislation, so it is a bit harder.

MR BERRY: Yes. He has to take the heat now. Mr Speaker, the clear situation is that those town centres, where 300 people will lose their jobs as a result of this Government's policies, provide a cheaper service to the community. This, of course, affects a whole range of people out there in the community who are not so well off. There does not seem to be any compassion for those people showing in this Government's deliberations on the shopping hours issue. Indeed, Mr Speaker, the Government has come up with a policy which is unworkable. It will not help small businesses, and it will not help employment in this Territory. Let us not forget, as my colleague Mr Wood mentioned a little while ago, that 2,500 more people have been added to the unemployment list since Mrs Carnell became Chief Minister, and this is going to add another 300.

Mr Humphries: Rubbish!

MR BERRY: You are going to boost it from 2,500 to 2,800 and beyond. You have the whole economy on the brink, and unemployment in a spiral upwards.

Mr Humphries: You are swallowing the propaganda of Coles, Woolworths and the big businesses in Sydney and Melbourne.

MR BERRY: Now you are going to make sure that the people out there who gain from those cheaper prices at those town centres are going to lose out again. I cannot help your silly policies. I cannot help them at all. I cannot help it that you have been the patsy in this, Mr Humphries. Now that Mr De Domenico has introduced the legislation, let him take the heat. There is nothing in it for you - not a thing.

Mr Humphries: I am not a coward, Mr Berry.

MR BERRY: No, but you are usually pretty sensible when it comes to taking the dump. I would run for my life, if I were you.

MRS CARNELL (Chief Minister) (3.43): Mr Speaker, I would like to comment on what Mr Berry just said. Mr Berry, I think very inappropriately, made some comment about my fingerprints being all over this because I have an interest in a small shopping centre. Therefore, by inference, I have something to gain by this. He then went on to say that small businesses cannot possibly benefit by this and small shopping centres cannot possibly gain any benefit. Mr Speaker, I think that really sums up the whole argument opposite. In one breath he is saying that I have something to gain because I am in a small

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