ACT members of the Legislative Assembly are not happy about the Coalition's plans to overrule the territory's laws.
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00:00 Well, another day, another attack on territory rights by the Federal Coalition.
00:04 It was only yesterday that the Senate rejected Senator Canavan's attempt to intervene in
00:09 relation to the compulsory acquisition of Calvary Public Hospital to build a billion
00:15 dollar hospital for the people of the ACT.
00:17 And today Senator Cash is introducing another bill that threatens and undermines the ACT's
00:24 rights to govern for itself.
00:27 This bill, make no mistake, has Mr Hanson's fingerprints all over it, just as Senator
00:31 Canavan's did.
00:32 And the problem for the Canberra Liberals is that this bill highlights the massive divide
00:38 within the Canberra Liberals.
00:40 We have a leader and a deputy leader who disagree on policy, who disagree on tactics, and who
00:44 fundamentally disagree on territory rights.
00:47 I know Ms Lee will be out here saying the Canberra Liberals support territory rights,
00:52 but we also know that Mr Hanson was walking the corridors of the Senate in relation to
00:56 Senator Canavan's bill and encouraging that bill to go ahead, alongside former Senator
01:01 Seselja.
01:02 So, Ms Lee will say one thing, Mr Hanson's fingerprints are all over Senator Cash's
01:08 bill.
01:09 The Canberra Liberals are very clear about our position in support of territory rights,
01:14 and I would always be very concerned about any steps to diminish that.
01:18 But let's be brutally honest, the issue at stake here is a rotten piece of law that this
01:24 Labor-Greens government took to the election under stealth.
01:28 There is no doubt about that.
01:30 Rachel Stevenson's own words indicate that that was her plan all along.
01:36 I think Canberrans have every right to be concerned and feel betrayed about how this
01:41 Labor-Greens government has done this, and that is not in question.
01:46 When these laws were introduced, the Canberra Liberals opposed them.
01:52 We oppose them now, and we are committed to repealing the laws in government.
01:58 That is without question.
02:00 So the real question really is about this Labor-Greens government and their underhanded
02:04 tactics to treat the Canberra community with disdain and disregard and disrespect, in bringing
02:13 these laws in through back channels, in order to thwart proper government processes.
02:20 That is a gross breach of the privileged position that the Minister was in, and she really should
02:28 be ashamed of her decision and path.
02:31 Thank you.
02:31 [BLANK_AUDIO]