Page 5435 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 16 November 2011
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the final page, suddenly discovered it, went across to his advisers and told them about it. That is what happened. That was the first time he realised he took this question on notice. That is negligence, and during this time he had already slurred the RSPCA.
There comes a point when the Greens have to stand up to this government. At the end of the day, they are not on the same ticket next October. I wonder how they are going to be held to account. Do they think they are going to get any love from the Labor Party next year in an election year? It is not going to happen. Do they think they are going to get any love at all in next year’s budget? It is not going to happen.
The top of the bell curve in terms of this two-way street has well and truly passed, and those opposite know it. We know it, but there are a handful of people over there that are in denial that this love-in between Labor and the Green is going to kick on next year as well. Believe me, it is not going to happen. At some point the Greens have to stand up for the values that they supposedly espouse and stand up for on behalf of their base. Their base would want them to back the RSPCA. Our base wants us to back the RSPCA. The ALP base wants them to back the RSPCA. All Canberrans, I believe, would want the RSPCA to be shown respect, and that is not something which has happened as a result of Minister Corbell’s actions.
It is interesting that the Deputy Chief Minister would rather shut down debate than contribute to it, because that is what happened. He tried to shut it down before he had to be forced to back someone in the other faction, someone it is well known he has arguments with. I would think the Assistant Speaker may understand this as well.
What we have seen today is a pretty shambolic performance not befitting the ACT Assembly and not befitting self-government. What has been good about this performance? We have had withdrawals of rulings. We have had the evidence clearly laid out that three times the minister has given false information about a community group. We saw him take no action on 1 November, when he took the question on notice—no action whatsoever. Yet here we are, and the Greens do not even seek to amend the motion in admonishment. Nothing at all.
You have totally sold out the RSPCA. On other occasions you have watered down motions. Why not do it today? In actual fact, Mr Rattenbury got up and backed the minister without even looking at the transcripts. It must be said that the only reason we are debating this today, the only reason we are going to get some truth to this is that we asked the questions. The Greens agree that the wrong information was given three times. They also agree that it slurred the name of the RSPCA. Do they also agree that the minister did not get the information on 1 November? They must. Only on the third line of questioning by the community did we get the answers.
If there was no case to answer, why are the Greens calling for the minister to write a letter of apology and to put out a media release? Are they going to hold the government to this? How many conditions are going to be in that media release? How many conditions are going to be in that letter to the editor? It is going to be riddled with all sorts of rhetoric—if done at all—that will totally dilute the issue that Minister Corbell misled the Assembly and the community on three separate occasions. As a side note, you have the RSPCA being sold out by the Greens.
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