Page 2475 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 1 July 2008
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It is crucially important that you talk to local people. I would like to see Mr Hargreaves go out there and have a chat to Gary Schmidt, to Peter, to Deb and to the mums who take their kids to Macgregor primary school.
Mr Hargreaves: You’re going to look really stupid in a minute, Bill.
MR STEFANIAK: I would like to see that, but you are too arrogant to do that and that is—
Mr Hargreaves: You are going to look really silly in a minute.
MR STEFANIAK: Jesus Christ, it is pathetic. You know, it is like—anyway, it does not matter.
Mr Hargreaves: Give us a shovel.
MR STEFANIAK: I am actually quite angry about this, Mr Hargreaves, because it is so utterly basic and this is an indication of the arrogance of your government. Rosemary Follett’s government, which I thought was not all that bad, was thrown out because it was perceived to be arrogant. Let me tell you: they were about 10 times more humble than you lot. They were pretty tardy in terms of seeing people, but I think they saw a hell of a lot more than you would.
Farces like the community cabinet where you probably have a few select people come and see you—that is no good. You have got to go and talk to people. They will tell you things you do not like, and at the end of the day, if you feel that what you are doing is right, you stick by your digs. There is no problem there—absolutely no problem there. But you will not speak to anyone. You can go, Mr Hargreaves, but I will just tell you one other person you should talk to—Kay Hewitt from Revolve. It was fine for you to talk to her when you were a backbencher—
Mr Hargreaves: We are going up now to talk to Kay Hewitt.
MR STEFANIAK: I am delighted, minister. It has taken you four years—well done. For four years she has been trying to see you.
Mr Hargreaves: Have you been reading my mail?
MR STEFANIAK: It is the first time since you have been minister. It is now 1 July—
Mr Hargreaves: You don’t want me to—
MR STEFANIAK: You are not going? I hope you are not misleading the Assembly there, Johnnie. It is 1 July and if you are doing that, thank God; it is better late than never. She has been trying to see you and the Chief Minister for the whole of this term and we have about 3½ months left in this term. That is pathetic. That organisation, which was started by a federal Labor government to help unemployed people get back
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