Page 1356 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 5 April 2011
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work with his colleagues. The question is, and this is what the Chief Minister is on record on—
Mr Stanhope interjecting—
MADAM ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Mrs Dunne): Order, Chief Minister!
MR SESELJA: He is on record as backing the most corrupt government perhaps in Australian history. He will back them to the hilt. That is what he did a week ago; he backed them to the hilt. But the people of New South Wales, of course, tossed them out. Others were distancing themselves from that corrupt government, but not Jon Stanhope.
It is worth taking the opportunity here in the Assembly to congratulate not just Barry O’Farrell and Andrew Stoner but also some of our local representatives, the regional MPs, who have done very well and a number of whom have picked up ministries. Pru Goward had an outstanding result and is now the Minster for Family and Community Services and the Minister for Women. Katrina Hodgkinson, the member for Burrinjuck, who has now been appointed the minister for primary industries, did a fantastic job. John Barilaro ran a sensational campaign and wrested the seat of Monaro from Steve Whan. I congratulate Matthew Mason-Cox in the upper house—he was not re-elected this election, but he works very hard for the people of the region and is based in Queanbeyan—and Melinda Pavey, who has had a lot to do with the region as well. I would like to congratulate each of those.
It will be important that we foster relationships not just with Premier O’Farrell and senior ministers but also, particularly, MPs, some of whom are ministers in our region, because they have a very strong interest in the region and a very strong interest in cross-border relations. I think that is true of the new New South Wales government, and it has been for a long time. I note that they have had a strong cross-border focus with things like the Cross-Border Commission Bill, which they put forward from opposition.
I think that shows the strong cross-border focus that they have. They represent regional communities, whether they are in places like Queanbeyan and Cooma, in Tweed Heads or down on the Victoria-New South Wales border. It is the coalition that represent these regional communities. Therefore, they see a strong imperative to having good cross-border relations. Indeed, it is very important for the people of the ACT that we foster those relationships. That is why I commend Alistair Coe for bringing forward this matter of public importance.
I think it will be much easier to work with a government that, frankly, is not corrupt. It is difficult to build and foster relationships amongst ministers, shadow ministers and members of parliament when all we get from New South Wales Labor is a string of scandals. The Chief Minister, in his response to what Mr Coe had to say, in his sensitivity to this point, was trying to say, “He’s just trying to dig up all these personal issues.” Was the Wollongong City Council planning scandal a personal issue? Was it a personal issue or was it an issue of corruption? Clearly, it was an issue of corruption.
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