Comments from ACT Legislative Assembly Speaker15 February 2002Wayne Berry, Labor’s second Speaker and the fourth in the 13 years of the Legislative Assembly for the ACT describes the latest Assembly as another step in the evolution of democratic self-government in the Territory.In his job as Speaker, Mr Berry describes his new role as the principal defender of parliamentary accountability and authority which he says underpin the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. As the presiding officer elected by Assembly, the Speaker is answerable to the parliament and represents the Assembly among presiding officers of Federal, State and Territory upper and lower houses. “The recent controversy over a court injunction which impinged on the privilege of the parliament served as a sharp reminder of the importance of the separation of powers of the executive, the parliament and the judiciary,” Mr Berry said. Mr Berry has little sympathy for tinkering with the system which is attempted from time to time, describing these attempts as a distraction from the real issues that affect the community. “It is the decisions of elected members which affect the community, not our parliamentary system under which the decisions are made,” he says. Mr Berry says that the staid and ceremonial image that goes with being Speaker is in stark contrast with the passionate contest of ideas which is a permanent feature of an active elected member. He has found room for both roles recently in his controversial move to decriminalise abortion in the ACT. “After all I remain an elected member and I have always prided myself on delivering the promises I have made and representing the interests of my constituents – in government and in opposition and now as Speaker. He is emphatic that the electoral system should be flexible enough to encourage the election of independents but this is the first Assembly where only the established political parties are represented. “There is no doubt in my mind that the atmospherics in the Assembly have changed as a result of this and the welcome fact that women are better represented. This doesn’t mean that the fifth Assembly will be any less interesting and I am looking forward to seeing how different this Assembly is from the previous four. |