Page 1201 - Week 04 - Thursday, 4 May 2006
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There is nothing undemocratic about that. There is nothing unparliamentary about it. It is entirely in accordance with the will of a democratically elected government to assert its majority in a parliament in the way that it believes is in the best interests of the people of the community it is elected to serve. It is as simple as that. The opposition and the minor party can go outside and say why they believe it is wrong, but they make the argument in the face of precedent around this country.
MR SPEAKER: Order! The time for this debate has expired.
Standing orders—suspension
Motion (by Mr Corbell) agreed to, with the concurrence of an absolute majority:
That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent Assembly business continuing until 12.30 pm today.
Estimates 2006-2007—Select Committee
Establishment
Debate resumed.
MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Minister for Planning) (12.15): Mr Speaker, the only reason that there has not been such a precedent for this place is that there has not been a majority government in this place. It is as simple as that. The opposition is living in the past. The crossbench member is living in the past. They go back to the days when there was minority government and the then government was held hostage by Liberal and crossbench parties, indeed any opposition party, but in 2004 there was a change. The people of Canberra voted for a majority government. They knew what that meant. They know what majority governments are about.
Mr Pratt: They did not vote for a non-transparent government.
MR SPEAKER: Order! I warn you, Mr Pratt.
MR CORBELL: Mr Speaker, they know what majority governments are about. Majority governments are about the majority of members in this place asserting their majority in this place. You are not telling me that the people of Canberra are naive, that they do not know what majority government means, that they do not know that there is no upper house in this place, are you? The people of Canberra are not naive. They knew that they were voting for a majority government.
Mr Gentleman: They voted for leadership.
MR CORBELL: They voted for leadership. They voted for Jon Stanhope. They voted for this government to get on with the job. That is exactly what this government is doing. The opposition can make cry to precedent or what happened in the past. Guess what: it is the past. It is not the present; it is the past. It is entirely reasonable for the Labor Party, as
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