Mr BALCH - 2001-07-05
We have heard earlier today in this Question Time that Labor members opposite seem to have a new-found support for gas developments and bringing gas onshore. How does this fit with the view of senior members of the Australian Labor Party such as shadow minister for foreign affairs, Laurie Brereton?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, not very well. It is interesting that while the Leader of the Opposition and the dwindling number of members that she has that support her - and I notice in the paper today that she even had to get some of the staff out to pop corks to celebrate the signing of the East Timor Sea gas arrangements - that had we followed Labor Party policy in relation to this matter the agreement would not be being signed this morning.
The Labor Party policy as espoused by the shadow foreign affairs spokesman, Laurie Brereton, would have set this project back years if not decades.
Members interjecting.
Mr REED: Well, you laugh, you laugh. And unlike the member for Wanguri I will substantiate the circumstances that I speak of because it is very important.
Mr Laurie Brereton said Labor supported the development of a permanent maritime boundary. Now such a settlement would place major gas and petroleum reserves within the East Timor maritime boundary perhaps depending on what the outcome was. But the important thing to recognise is that that would have taken the discussions into many years, if not decades, forum of argument and debate and proposition as to where sea boundaries should lie. We would not today be having an agreement signed and, indeed, the Leader of the Opposition would not have been popping corks yesterday.
So it is one thing for her to be theatrical and pop a few corks and get a photograph in the paper; it is another thing. However, it is somewhat harder for the Leader of the Opposition to be effective, to be able to demonstrate that she has partaken successfully in these arrangements and, of course, she did not. All she did was criticise the government for the actions that we have taken to progress the signing of the Timor Sea arrangements and in doing so has now changed her tack to try to steal a little bit of the limelight, notwithstanding that she participated absolutely nothing towards it.
But we have come to expect that and Territorians have come to expect that, that she is a mere hollow log in terms of integrity. She is deceitful in the extreme in terms of the way that she presents to Territorians what she does as an Opposition Leader. She has been singularly unsuccessful in being involved in the arrangements that are being celebrated today. She would be even more unsuccessful if Territorians were unfortunate enough for her to gain government before the end of this year, in terms of taking advantage of the investment and job opportunities that lie before us as Timor Sea gas comes onshore and making sure that the Territorians benefit from it.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, not very well. It is interesting that while the Leader of the Opposition and the dwindling number of members that she has that support her - and I notice in the paper today that she even had to get some of the staff out to pop corks to celebrate the signing of the East Timor Sea gas arrangements - that had we followed Labor Party policy in relation to this matter the agreement would not be being signed this morning.
The Labor Party policy as espoused by the shadow foreign affairs spokesman, Laurie Brereton, would have set this project back years if not decades.
Members interjecting.
Mr REED: Well, you laugh, you laugh. And unlike the member for Wanguri I will substantiate the circumstances that I speak of because it is very important.
Mr Laurie Brereton said Labor supported the development of a permanent maritime boundary. Now such a settlement would place major gas and petroleum reserves within the East Timor maritime boundary perhaps depending on what the outcome was. But the important thing to recognise is that that would have taken the discussions into many years, if not decades, forum of argument and debate and proposition as to where sea boundaries should lie. We would not today be having an agreement signed and, indeed, the Leader of the Opposition would not have been popping corks yesterday.
So it is one thing for her to be theatrical and pop a few corks and get a photograph in the paper; it is another thing. However, it is somewhat harder for the Leader of the Opposition to be effective, to be able to demonstrate that she has partaken successfully in these arrangements and, of course, she did not. All she did was criticise the government for the actions that we have taken to progress the signing of the Timor Sea arrangements and in doing so has now changed her tack to try to steal a little bit of the limelight, notwithstanding that she participated absolutely nothing towards it.
But we have come to expect that and Territorians have come to expect that, that she is a mere hollow log in terms of integrity. She is deceitful in the extreme in terms of the way that she presents to Territorians what she does as an Opposition Leader. She has been singularly unsuccessful in being involved in the arrangements that are being celebrated today. She would be even more unsuccessful if Territorians were unfortunate enough for her to gain government before the end of this year, in terms of taking advantage of the investment and job opportunities that lie before us as Timor Sea gas comes onshore and making sure that the Territorians benefit from it.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016