Page 3157 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 22 August 2012
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MR SESELJA (Molonglo—Leader of the Opposition) (12.41), in reply: Before finally making some concluding comments, I will respond to some of what has been said in the debate to date. I think that the Greens have again shown themselves to have no standards whatsoever. They have shown that they have no regard for the way the community has been treated and they have no regard for how our health system is performing. They have shown that there is no standard too low for them when it comes to this government. They have shown rank hypocrisy, which has been exposed today.
Is there anyone in the community, anyone in Canberra, who thinks that if the situation was reversed, if it was the exact same set of facts and it was a Liberal chief minister, the Greens would not be backing this motion today? Is there anyone who is prepared to stand up and suggest that? Of course they would support it if it was a Liberal chief minister. That is the only standard by which they are going on this. It is the colour of the minister in question; it is the political party and the political allegiance of the minister in question. They have been exposed for their hypocrisy.
Ms Le Couteur has let the cat out of the bag about what some members actually think about this. They do think it is a serious matter, but they cannot do it for rank political purposes, because it would not be a good look for them to be voting no confidence in the Chief Minister they supported this close to an election. That is the rank political judgement the Greens have taken. No doubt, come election time, when people are asking themselves have they got what they were promised by the Greens, which was to hold the government to account—
Mr Hanson: Third-party insurance.
MR SESELJA: Yes, third-party insurance. Thousands of Canberrans who did vote for the Greens for the first time last time will no doubt be asking themselves whether it was worth it and whether they actually received any accountability, any third-party insurance. Clearly, they have not. The Greens, through both the contribution of Ms Hunter and Ms Bresnan, have demonstrated that there is no standard too low when it comes to the Labor Party and when it comes to protecting their relationship with the Labor Party in this place.
Mr Corbell made a contribution which makes us think that perhaps we were wrong; maybe it was not Mr Barr who has been undermining Ms Gallagher. Maybe it was Mr Corbell, because he managed to put up such an absurd defence as to lead one to conclude that perhaps he actually agrees with this motion. He did it in a couple of ways. He said that the reason Ms Carnell deserved no confidence was because she had taken this issue to cabinet; she had taken the issue of Bruce stadium to cabinet. So the test now is whether or not Ms Gallagher actually at any stage has taken issues around the emergency department, waiting times in our emergency department or any of these other issues, to cabinet. That is the test he has set and, of course, she fails on that test. On that test, no confidence should proceed. Mr Corbell has added significantly to this debate.
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