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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 14 Hansard (11 December) . . Page.. 4679 ..

Mr Humphries: This is a rule for the Labor Party in opposition only; right.

MR BERRY: No. Mr Humphries interjects about a special rule for the Labor Party when in opposition. If we were in government and private - - -

Mr Humphries: You would be doing the same thing? Do not give me that.

MR BERRY: No; if we were in government and private members moved and carried a motion such as this and we needed more time for our own business, then we would program an extra day or two. That is an option that you might have to take into consideration.

Mr Humphries: No, crossbenchers; no commitment.

MR BERRY: No. To be fair - - -

Mr Humphries: Next time they have nine seats, there goes your Wednesday afternoon.

MR SPEAKER: Order!

MR BERRY: No. To be fair, this tells the Government that for next year this is the non-Government members' expectation for Wednesday.

Mr Humphries: But just for next year.

MR BERRY: That is as far as it goes. It applies only till the end of 1997.

Mr Humphries: You can make it a permanent order, Wayne.

MR BERRY: You can, if you like. What the Government has to do is look at its legislative program. It is now on notice that these are the temporary orders that are going to apply. It ought to look at its legislative program. The Manager of Government Business, dare I suggest, should see whether or not he can fit it all in, rather than dragging us on into the middle of the night debating legislation and introducing debate on legislation at 10 o'clock at night, like on the Appropriation Bill, and expecting us to go all night to deal with these issues, at great cost to the Legislative Assembly. The Manager of Government Business ought to get his act together and make sure that he can program Government business within the normal sitting times of this Assembly, without putting us into a situation where we go well into the night. If you want to program extra days you can program extra days, and that is the approach that we would take if we were faced with this amendment. We are not frightened of it like you are, Mr Humphries. It does not bother us.

MR KAINE (11.52): Mr Speaker, I thought I had heard everything in this place in the last eight years, but this morning Mr Berry exceeded himself. I never thought I would see the day when the alternative government argued to amend standing orders to take away from government the right to bring its business before the Assembly, and that is what he is doing. We have had in place ever since this place was first established in 1989 standing orders which prescribe that on Wednesday mornings private members business may be brought on. A little while ago we suspended that on a temporary basis.

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