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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 8 Hansard (26 June) . . Page.. 2219 ..

Canberra Raiders - Patron

MS FOLLETT (6.14): I want to make a brief contribution because I know that we touch a chord with an awful lot of Canberrans when we talk about the Raiders. I am sure that there are hundreds of thousands of people who have been lying awake at night wondering what has gone wrong with the Raiders, when Ricky will be better, when Bradley Clyde might be taking the field and so on. I have a different point of view on this matter. In my opinion, the Raiders have started to lose by cricket scores only since they have had Mrs Carnell as their patron. In that respect, they are reflecting the reaction of a great many other organisations and businesses in the ACT - the minute that Mrs Carnell took charge, they went to water. I regret to say that the Raiders have followed suit. I hope that they rediscover their skills and their courage fairly swiftly. I would suggest that, as a precaution in the meantime, Mrs Carnell stay away from them, just for a while, to give them a fair go.

Leader of the Opposition

MR WHITECROSS (Leader of the Opposition) (6.15): Mr Speaker - - -

Mr De Domenico: Whom are you tipping this week?

MR WHITECROSS: Well, you will have to read it in the paper, Mr De Domenico. I rise on Mrs Carnell's point. I must say that politics is a difficult game. In government, you do have to make some hard decisions.

Mrs Carnell: But loyalty has to come before anything.

MR WHITECROSS: Well, loyalty is important; but so is making the right decision. With the points as they were, it seemed only fitting that I also consider the beneficiaries of this competition. I am not sure that I have collected yet, but if I did actually get to collect in one of these competitions the money goes to a charity. I have to do my best for the charity concerned as well. But I had to make the difficult decision. I made the difficult decision. Sometimes these calls have to be made. On this occasion, as Mr Wood quite correctly observed, my judgment proved to be correct. I am happy to stand by that judgment. But I hope that in future I will have the opportunity to pick the Raiders again, because they are the team that I support, and I would like to see them win.

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