Page 1760 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 4 May 2011
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MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo) (11.17): It is a great shame that we have not been able to achieve some support for this bill today, because Ms Le Couteur and her staff have put some considerable effort into developing this bill—
Mr Stanhope: It is a stunt.
MR RATTENBURY: and put considerable thought into the most successful way—
Mr Stanhope: It is a disgraceful stunt.
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Order, members, please.
MR RATTENBURY: and the most practical way—
Mr Stanhope: Disgraceful.
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Chief Minister, please.
MR RATTENBURY: to improve animal welfare in the ACT. It is interesting the approach the Chief Minister has taken, because we were well aware of Ms Porter’s promise, or at least her suggestion, that she was going to do something on this. I know that Ms Le Couteur waited for quite some time for Ms Porter’s office to actually produce something. We did wait, and I recall very clearly that Ms Porter had promised to put out a discussion paper—a discussion paper, so not even actual legislation—by October last year, and Ms Le Couteur did not introduce her legislation until December. So we waited to see if Ms Porter was actually going to act. But unfortunately she did not. So the Greens, interested in action on this—not just promises of maybe doing something in the future, of having a discussion paper—
Mr Stanhope: No integrity.
MR RATTENBURY: of maybe sending it off somewhere for some consultation—
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Order, Mr Rattenbury. Stop the clock, please. Chief Minister, please desist. I am finding it very difficult to maintain order if you are going to carry on.
Mr Stanhope: I beg your pardon, Mr Assistant Speaker.
MR RATTENBURY: Mr Stanhope says that the Greens are coming in here asking him to revoke undertakings, to revoke commitments. But it is far from that. What we are asking for is for something to be done, and that is what this legislation is about. It is about practical, concrete steps that have received considerable support from people who work on animal welfare.
This is not about, as the Chief Minister suggested, some sort of disrespect. I am not sure who he thought we were disrespecting, but it is not about disrespect; it is about getting past the dithering. That is what we have seen in this area: we have seen dithering. This legislation has been—
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