Page 1477 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 7 May 2008
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the President of the ACT Returned and Services League, was also deeply concerned and expressed his concern to authorities about that particular event.
That is why the opposition are tabling this legislation—that is, to try and ensure there is no repeat of the events that occurred in the week leading up to Anzac Day 2008. I will be deeply disappointed if the government decides to abuse its majority to reject this overdue piece of legislation, particularly in light of the special role Canberra has as the home of the War Memorial. This government is the custodian of this territory’s memorials. These memorials may be administered and funded by federal authorities, but, morally speaking, the ACT government has a partnership role—
Mr Hargreaves: How do you know about “morally”?
MR PRATT: Well, you don’t know anything about morals, Mr Hargreaves. We know that simply by your behaviour. Your particular behaviour is well known in this place.
Mr Speaker, the ACT government has a partnership role with the federal and commonwealth authorities in the custodial responsibilities for preserving our Anzac memorials and for preserving Anzac Day. If the ACT government do not support this legislation, they will be sending a very clear signal to the ACT community that they do not particularly give a damn about the sanctity of Anzac Day. Mr Hargreaves, I think, served at some time, so I would really like to see Mr Hargreaves, who has served this nation in uniform, stand up for this piece of legislation. It is time for a bit of testing there.
If the government fail to support this legislation, then they will be sending a very strong signal to the Returned and Services League that they do not give a toss about Anzac Day, because that is what it means. If we do not allow legislation to preserve the sanctity and the solemnity of Anzac Day, then that is the signal that you would be sending out to the community. I will wait with bated breath to see how the government reacts and responds to this legislation. For God’s sake, the government can go and steal this legislation. It does not have to have “Steve Pratt” stamped on it. Jon Stanhope himself can rebadge this and put it down here for debate. I do not particularly care, just as long as this legislation is passed in the interests of preserving the solemnity of Anzac Day and in demonstrating our respect in this place not only for war veterans but also for all ex-servicemen and their families and their widows.
It is important that we in this place demonstrate to our children the importance of Anzac Day. I go back to the first point I made, Mr Speaker: as a nation—and the ACT community is an integral part of that nation—it is important that we say to our kids that Anzac Day is very, very important, that we want it to go on and that we want it to be commemorated in perpetuity. We want it to go right on into the future of this nation’s behaviour, and we will always highlight and commemorate Anzac Day.
It is very important that we demonstrate to our children that this government and this Assembly will support and pass important legislation to demonstrate their interest in protecting a most important part of our heritage. Mr Speaker, I do commend this legislation to the house.
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