Page 814 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 27 February 2013
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MS BURCH: I will get it right from here on in. I will do my damndest, Madam Deputy Speaker. But do not take my word for it. Let us look at the words of the Liberal Party colleagues, perhaps that disaffected rump, and what they have said about him. Let us firstly go to the federal shadow attorney-general.
Mr Smyth: On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker, even with the amendment, this is hardly relevant to the amendment let alone the original motion, and I would ask you to call the member to order and to be relevant to the debate.
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: I actually missed what she said, Mr Smyth. So I will ask you, Ms Burch, to be directly relevant. But I actually missed exactly what the sentence was that you are objecting to, Mr Smyth. I apologise. Please remain relevant, Ms Burch. You have just over two minutes in which to do that.
MS BURCH: Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. And the amendment does go to:
… the people of Lanyon Valley have a reasonable expectation that those elected to represent them will stay the course for their term …
And what we have seen unfold over the short term is Mr Seselja turning his back on that commitment to the people of Brindabella, including the people of Lanyon valley, to serve the term of his office. He has done that in double time. He has done that in what was described by his own party or members of his own party as a way that causes great concern. The strong criticism of a Liberal Party member, who was so outraged by Mr Seselja’s conduct that he resigned from the Liberal Party, was:
It’s completely wrong. They’re all just looking after Zed Seselja. When you tell people not to go to the media, you are hiding something.
And that was his comment, that Mr Seselja, Mr Coe and Mr Doszpot all told this Liberal Party member not to go to the media.
But I think some of the Canberra Liberal Party’s members who turned up for the weekend’s vote at Eastlake football club summed it up best with their makeshift placards “shame Zed”. I echo those words: “shame Zed”. You have not, Mr Seselja, fulfilled your honest commitment that you made—it was not an honest commitment. You made a commitment to the people of Brindabella that you would serve your term in this Assembly. We have not even got to an Easter break. Over Christmas he was concocting a move to not represent them. I just want to make the comment that my amendment clearly states:
… the Parliamentary Agreement between ACT Labor and the Greens commits the Government to ‘Undertake a community needs analysis of government services in southern Tuggeranong, including a feasibility study for a library in Lanyon’ …
The people of Lanyon valley have a reasonable expectation that those who are elected by them will stay the course of their term. The amendment also states:
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