GREENS MLC Mark Parnell has highlighted the “remarkable turn of events” in the Marshall Government’s support for a legislated moratorium after voting down an almost identical bill earlier this year.
Mr Parnell labelled the discussion of the bill as “deju vu” given his unsuccessful attempt to introduce similar legislation to the same chamber just four months prior.
He said there was “no conceivable position” that anyone would expect the party to take other than to fully endorse the bill given the legislation was “in fact the Greens’ bill”.
“I will take the opportunity to acknowledge the work that Troy Bell, the Member for Mount Gambier, has done in the lower house and his incredible powers of persuasion to be able to take a Greens’ bill, introduce it into that chamber and, by force of argument, convince the Liberal Party to vote for it,” Mr Parnell said.
“In fact, so convince them as to the merits of this bill they would bring it back to us not as a private members’ bill, as it started, but in fact as a government bill to be debated in government time.
“I am curious as to what might have changed in the meantime.”
In July, lead speaker and Cabinet minister David Ridgway said the government had already implemented the pre-election moratorium and a legislative ban sought to “play politics”.
“Back in July, this bill was playing politics,” Mr Parnell said.
“Fast forward to October and all of a sudden we find that it is now an essential piece of legislation the parliament should be seriously considering and the government is inviting us to vote for it.”
Mr Parnell referred to comments by Mr Ridgway, who claimed the Greens bill was an attempt to raise South East concerns.
“The concerns of residents in the South-East was evidenced on the day we voted for my bill – the same bill,” he said.
“We had the public gallery full of farmers from the South East who had spent a great deal of time and money bussing up or driving up from the South East.
“They were terribly disappointed, back on that occasion, the government and the opposition did not support the bill.”
