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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 1 Hansard (18 February) . . Page.. 6 ..
MR CORBELL (continuing):
Mr Speaker, I do not believe that we live in a time when there is only one way to govern a Territory such as Canberra. Many have argued that there is only one ideology which is viable, that is, the free market. This is the same free market which economic rationalists have continued to quote as services decline, unemployment grows and the interests of the community are undermined. I firmly believe that there are alternatives to this; they are not easy and they are not simple, but they are there. The greatest hindrance in Canberra to solving the problem of unemployment is the lack of political will to recognise that the current belief in the politics of accepting the constraints of the market has failed. What is needed is a new political vision and leadership. Political parties which have adopted the policies of the market are failing to address the real concerns of people. Yet people still face the dilemma of just replacing one party with another which accepts the same basic rule of the market. I do not accept this, and I know this is a view shared by many within my party. My goal will be to continue, along with my Assembly colleagues, to build Labor as an alternative which provides new solutions to the problems of unemployment, declining community services and the breakdown of society.
Mr Speaker, adopting the principle that, above all else, we as Canberrans live in a city - a city of individuals bound together by our common home, and it is not just a marketplace - is an important start to make. To recognise that we are citizens, that a person's value is more than just their financial worth; to ensure that as a society we can succeed only if we allow all an equal chance to participate - that means making sure that people do not need to fear for their job, do not need to fear that they cannot pay for medical care if they are sick, do not need to fear that they will become alienated and isolated in their own city. To do this means saying that living in Canberra is more than just being a consumer of products and a buyer of services. It means being able to contribute to the development of our community by participating as a citizen in the life of our city, and not just as a passive spectator.
Mr Speaker, people in Canberra aspire for their city to be a fair and peaceful place in which to live. It is this Assembly's responsibility to foster and develop that city. As a member of this Assembly, along with my Labor colleagues and others who share these views, I will be working to help achieve this aspiration we should all share.
MR HUMPHRIES (Attorney-General) (11.27): Mr Speaker, I ask for leave to present the Liquor (Amendment) Bill 1997.
Leave granted.
MR HUMPHRIES: I thank members. I present the Liquor (Amendment) Bill 1997 and its explanatory memorandum.
Title read by Clerk.
MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, I move:
That this Bill be agreed to in principle.
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