Page 1779 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 8 May 2013
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Mr Hanson: My understanding is that you ruled on this. You called on the minister—
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mr Hanson, have you got a point of order?
Mr Hanson: Yes, I do, on relevance. My understanding is that you ruled on this. You instructed the minister to be relevant to the debate. The motion is specifically about the public service and the federal Leader of the Opposition. Talking about other matters for political purposes is not relevant to the debate. I ask her to be relevant to the debate.
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes, Mr Hanson. It is also, I believe, about this Assembly making its representation to the federal government about the ACT and its position as the nation’s capital et cetera. I am hoping that Ms Burch is coming to a point of relevance through what she is saying.
MS BURCH: Yes.
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: I know you have not actually made your point yet, so I am not quite sure what you are saying, but could you make sure that you remain relevant in whatever you are about to say, please. Thank you.
MS BURCH: I will, Madam Deputy Speaker. I will just finish on this point. The motion also said that the plan to move Mr Seselja to the federal parliament “represents a betrayal of the trust placed in him by the voters of Lanyon”.
Here we are on a motion asking this Assembly to stand together, to write to Tony Abbott and say that we need to make sure that the coalition’s planned cuts of 20,000 jobs are not acceptable. I think it is very clear. Today’s motion clearly puts the Canberra Liberals in a compromised position. How can they support this motion when one of their own will, when he finally decides to leave, be prosecuting the case for Tony Abbott on why gutting the public service is the right thing to do?
Madam Deputy Speaker, let me tell you why the Canberra Liberals should be supporting this motion. They should do it because it is the right thing to do for the people of Canberra. We need to put up a united front on behalf of the Canberra community and publicly condemn the coalition’s plan to gut the Canberra public service. We need to stand up for the people of Canberra. This is a foreign concept to the Canberra Liberals and it is particularly a foreign concept to Mr Seselja as articulated and expressed in this motion passed by this Assembly.
Today Mr Hanson has an opportunity to show some leadership, to stand up to Tony Abbott—indeed, to stand up to Mr Seselja, the coalition Senate candidate for the seat of Canberra—and say that enough is enough. Mr Seselja might have abandoned the people of Tuggeranong, the people who voted him into this place, but, Mr Hanson, you, as current leader, now have a chance to show your leadership and stand up for the electorate, your community, and support this motion so that we send a clear message that the Canberra community does not want to see our jobs go, does not want to see our families and our neighbours who work in the public service lose their jobs.
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