I welcome the Minister and congratulate him on bringing the Bill forward. It is refreshing that Senator McHugh is positively disposed towards the Bill. He acknowledged its necessity to accelerate the development programme being implemented by the Minister on behalf of islanders. They have the same rights as people living on the mainland. Those rights were not acknowledged in the past but they are addressed in this legislation because the Minister believes in equality for all. That is one of the guiding spirits of his Ministry, whether one lives on the mainland or on an island. The Minister has backed up his conviction with financial resources, which was attested to by many Members in the Lower House, and one Opposition Member acknowledged he is not a latter day convert to the needs and rights of islanders. I fully support that sentiment.