Mr EDE - 1995-08-22
I will leave aside for a moment the question of new political prisoners that we will create and ask the Chief Minister a question regarding his Discussion Paper No 1, which suggests that the offence of shoplifting be dealt with by way of an on-the-spot fine without criminal conviction. The Country Liberal Party's policy for the 1994 election promised to impose imprisonment of 28 days for repeat shoplifters, including juveniles. Does the Chief Minister concede that these 2 policies are totally inconsistent? Will he advise which policy he will follow?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition continues to lead with fairly predictable questions, although at least he has now acknowledged that this is a discussion paper. I am pleased to see that this discussion paper is generating a great deal of discussion in the community.
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Mr Ede: You are walking away from it, are you?
Mr STONE: Are you interested in the answer ...
Mr Ede: Yes. I just want to know if you are walking away from it.
Mr STONE: ... or do you want simply to keep interrupting? Without doubt, you are one of the rudest people in this Chamber. Why don't you listen ...
Mr Bailey: Second only to me.
Mr Ede: Will you put me in jail?
Ms Martin: On-the-spot fine!
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: As I said, this is a discussion paper. I have received wide-ranging representations from shopkeepers in the commercial and industry sectors who are most affected by a proposal ...
Mr Stirling: Didn't you do that with your 1994 policy? You didn't worry about it then.
Mr STONE: ... that would move shoplifting to an on-the-spot fine. At the end of the day, we will weigh up the many submissions that are being received in my office and take a particular policy stand. However, as I said at the outset, it is a discussion paper. I know the Leader of the Opposition reckons that we pinch all his ideas and that it is all terrible, but the fact is that this government does not stand still. It moves on, and it will push back the frontiers of policy ...
Mr Ede: Past the policies that you gave the people in ...
Mr Bailey: Going where no man has gone before, exploring new frontiers!
Mr STONE: At least we have policies.
Mr Ede: But you do not follow them. You move on.
Mr STONE: The Leader of the Opposition is the very same man who went on radio and, when challenged about his policy, said that, because the next election is 3 years away, no one should expect the opposition to say what its policies are or will be.
Mr Bailey: But yours are those that you won the election with.
Mr Ede: You won the election. You have to implement them now.
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Mr STONE: At least Territorians know where their CLP government is taking them. They do not know ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: They do not know what this branch of Paul Keating's government in Canberra stands for. Territorians do not know what sort of government Paul Keating's mates in the Territory would visit on them in the unhappy event that they were ever able to form a government. As I have said before, the simple fact is that the opposition does not have any policies because the present Leader of the Opposition is the laziest leader that this lot has ever had.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition continues to lead with fairly predictable questions, although at least he has now acknowledged that this is a discussion paper. I am pleased to see that this discussion paper is generating a great deal of discussion in the community.
Page 741
Mr Ede: You are walking away from it, are you?
Mr STONE: Are you interested in the answer ...
Mr Ede: Yes. I just want to know if you are walking away from it.
Mr STONE: ... or do you want simply to keep interrupting? Without doubt, you are one of the rudest people in this Chamber. Why don't you listen ...
Mr Bailey: Second only to me.
Mr Ede: Will you put me in jail?
Ms Martin: On-the-spot fine!
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: As I said, this is a discussion paper. I have received wide-ranging representations from shopkeepers in the commercial and industry sectors who are most affected by a proposal ...
Mr Stirling: Didn't you do that with your 1994 policy? You didn't worry about it then.
Mr STONE: ... that would move shoplifting to an on-the-spot fine. At the end of the day, we will weigh up the many submissions that are being received in my office and take a particular policy stand. However, as I said at the outset, it is a discussion paper. I know the Leader of the Opposition reckons that we pinch all his ideas and that it is all terrible, but the fact is that this government does not stand still. It moves on, and it will push back the frontiers of policy ...
Mr Ede: Past the policies that you gave the people in ...
Mr Bailey: Going where no man has gone before, exploring new frontiers!
Mr STONE: At least we have policies.
Mr Ede: But you do not follow them. You move on.
Mr STONE: The Leader of the Opposition is the very same man who went on radio and, when challenged about his policy, said that, because the next election is 3 years away, no one should expect the opposition to say what its policies are or will be.
Mr Bailey: But yours are those that you won the election with.
Mr Ede: You won the election. You have to implement them now.
Page 742
Mr STONE: At least Territorians know where their CLP government is taking them. They do not know ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: They do not know what this branch of Paul Keating's government in Canberra stands for. Territorians do not know what sort of government Paul Keating's mates in the Territory would visit on them in the unhappy event that they were ever able to form a government. As I have said before, the simple fact is that the opposition does not have any policies because the present Leader of the Opposition is the laziest leader that this lot has ever had.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016