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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 6 Hansard (15 June) . . Page.. 1923 ..
MR STEFANIAK: God, I hope so.
MR STANHOPE (Leader of the Opposition) (8.43): I will be very brief. The Labor Party will support Ms Tucker's amendments in relation to the ballot groups. We think Ms Tucker makes a very good case. I think it is a very fair point that she makes; that this really is a levelling of the playing field in relation to the position of Independents within the Assembly and those without who stand for the first time and seek to gain election.
I think the vital point that Mr Kaine missed in his comments is that Ms Tucker's determination and intent here is to change the nature of the relationship between sitting members as opposed to those who do not have the privilege of having been elected. I think the point can be made when one looks at the Independents or the so-called Independents in this place that each of them was elected as a member of a party or a so-called party.
Mr Moore: No, Mr Osborne was not, Jon.
MR STANHOPE: Mr Osborne was not in the first election, that is true, but it is a very convenient route into the place, traditionally, in terms of this particular parliament. Members get elected as members of parties and then defect the parties and occupy this very privileged position. In the context of much of what we have heard, much of the bluster and fluster we have heard, and the sort of self-righteous jockeying for a moral position in relation to this particular debate which really is extremely unedifying-
Mr Moore: After what Wayne said? You hypocrite.
MR STANHOPE: You earned that.
Mr Moore: You great big hypocrite.
MR STANHOPE: You earned that speech from Mr Quinlan and you earned that speech from Mr Berry. The three of you did. You were appalling. Read the Hansard tomorrow. You were absolutely-
Mr Moore: I heard it. I was in there eating my dinner.
MR STANHOPE: You were appalling and you earned in spades both Mr Quinlan's speech and Mr Berry's speech.
Mr Rugendyke: Rose coloured glasses.
MR STANHOPE: You earned it in spades.
Mr Moore: You great big hypocrite.
MR STANHOPE
: Well, in terms of hypocrisy, we see Mr Moore's two bob each way. He said, "Ms Tucker, I actually agree with you. I agree with you, Ms Tucker. I agree with what you say. I would love to support you, but I'm not going to." It was the classic two bob each way, the Michael Moore position. "I agree. You are right.
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