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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 6 Hansard (18 June) . . Page.. 1764 ..

MR MOORE: Apparently Mr Osborne did not hear me. An opposition working more effectively is what it is about. No, we do not want centralisation of power in any form in this Assembly if we can avoid it. That is certainly why I will be opposing the motion.

There was another argument that Mr Berry put, and this is the one I like best of all. He said that it will make Labor more effective. Finally, they have found something that just might make Labor more effective. It is not more work. It is not an attempt to work with other members in the Assembly to get legislation up and to show that they can be an alternative government; that they can get people onside; that they can achieve things. No, it is a change to standing orders to let one of their members - I presume Mr Whitecross - ask more and more questions. All we hear from Mr Berry is a projectionist approach. The arguments that he puts are most extraordinary. The accusations he makes against the crossbenches are most extraordinary. Clearly, what he did was look in a mirror this morning.

Mr Speaker, this motion should be treated as the nonsense that it is. It is an awful attempt to give them a chance to increase Mr Whitecross's profile instead of working out their own factional disagreements, starting to work as a team and being supportive. Mr Berry, you do not have to pass all your questions on to one person or let the one person ask them. You can have a coordinated approach. I noticed for quite a while at question time today what I thought was a reasonably effective coordinated approach. If you soup that up, you might actually be able to get the questions going in the way you think is important. It is possible for you to approach members of the crossbenches and say, "We have something on which we think the Government is a bit weak and we think that an appropriately coordinated bit of questioning would be useful". You just might find some response - - -

Mr Berry: But you would protect them, as you always do.

MR MOORE: "You would protect them", Mr Berry says. How would you know, Mr Berry? I have made the suggestion to you quite a number of times from the very beginning of this Assembly that that is what we could do. Until you are prepared to work with the crossbenches and show that you can, Mr Berry, then you cannot be the alternative government under this system. Why is it that Labor cannot see that you cannot be an alternative government unless you can work with the crossbenches? That is what it is about. That is how you become more effective - - -

Mr Berry: It is a bit hard to work with wackos, Michael.

MR MOORE: I do not care what he bleats. There is a simple way to becoming more effective. There is a simple way to show that you can actually be the alternative government instead of the rabble you are at the moment.

MS TUCKER (3.43): I have concerns about this motion. When Mr Berry first put it to me, I could see some point in what he was arguing; but when I thought about it further I had concerns about it in terms of what we are trying to do in this place and in terms of the Hare-Clark system and all members having the opportunity to represent their constituents in the way that they see fit and to have equal place in debate in this place.

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