Page 3952 - Week 10 - Thursday, 20 September 2018
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This is clearly a view that Senator Humphries was never able to impress on Senator Seselja.
However, the Senate’s failure has strengthened our resolve. Just last month we stood here in this place and passed our first-ever motion of remonstrance, acknowledging the paramount importance of territory rights to the citizens of the ACT. We stated our grievances, the least of which was that the federal parliament should never determine the rights of Australian citizens based on their postcodes.
We called out senators for conflating their personal views on voluntary assisted dying with restoring territory rights and acknowledged them for misrepresenting the intentions of territory parliaments. Perhaps most importantly, we acknowledged that the Senate refused to properly seek, let alone take into account, the views of 420,000 citizens of the ACT. Without restoring territory rights, the Australian parliament is in effect ignoring and withholding the democratic rights of Canberrans and Northern Territorians.
The Northern Territory government adopted a similar approach and just last week our speakers jointly presented these motions to the Senate President. Together, we will continue to push our federal politicians to address the discrimination between territory and state citizens in relation to legislative rights.
I still hold out hope that our federal parliament will eventually recognise that we are a mature enough democracy to make our own choices. But I will not hold my breath waiting for Senator Seselja to stand up for the rights of Canberrans. I will not hold my breath hoping that Senator Seselja will refrain from shouting down Canberrans when they look like they might speak up against his conservative values.
I would hope that all members of this chamber would stand up for the rights of Canberrans on all occasions, whether it is politically convenient for them to do so or not. It is unfair, unjust and illogical that territorians do not enjoy the same rights as citizens in other jurisdictions. Indeed, all Australians should have the same democratic rights, including the ability to determine our own laws regardless of where we live.
We have on many occasions in this place advocated for the restoration of such rights, particularly in recognition of how the Canberra community and this Assembly have matured since self-government began and how Canberrans deserve more than ever the same rights as enjoyed by citizens of other jurisdictions. After 29 years of self-government it is high time that we were free to make these important decisions just as our counterparts in the states can do.
I also thank Ms Cheyne for bringing this matter of public importance to the chamber and commend it.
Discussion concluded.
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