Page 1094 - Week 06 - Thursday, 27 July 1989
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officers are to be appointed. I will be looking to see what are their qualifications, where they are coming from, the sort of pay and the sort of work that is intended for those officers.
MR JENSEN (4.00): I join with my colleagues in commending the Government for bringing forward this initial budget statement. However, like my colleagues and others in this chamber today, I find a number of aspects are of some concern, and we will be taking those up during this debate and also during the debate on the budget later.
Before I proceed I would like to make just a brief comment in relation to the amount of time that was allocated to Mr Collaery to speak on this matter. I notice that the Government had no problem providing an extended period of time for the so-called Leader of the Opposition, Mr Kaine. It is unfortunate that it did not allow the same amount of time for the leader of the Residents Rally, Mr Collaery. I draw the attention of the house to the fact that he is the leader of a party with exactly the same number of members as the Liberal Party. I think it is important that this fact be noted and recorded accordingly.
Under the heading "Expenditure Reductions", savings of $180,000 are attributed to the projection that "more effective purchasing standards will be implemented through uniform procedures and better purchasing in a more competitive market". On the surface, this seems commendable enough, although I am tempted to ask why the ACT Administration was obliged to inherit procedures which were not uniform in the first place. That aside, and in a climate in which inflation and the Government's rating policy for commercial and business properties will inevitably force up the cost of services, as has already been indicated, I suspect that the Labor Party's faith in a more competitive market to produce savings will prove unfounded.
We can only hope that, if this proves to be the case, Canberra businesses do not find themselves having the screws applied by the ACT Administration to provide services at costs well below those needed for profitable operation. Local industries and suppliers could end up carrying the burden of the Government's on-paper savings.
An amount of $420,000 to be spent on covering the operational costs of the tourism and hospitality facilities of the ACT Institute of TAFE is a welcome contribution to the development of what is an important local industry and a source of significant income. I do not think anyone would doubt that, and I think it is important that that area be encouraged. I also refer particularly to the small business element of the tourism industry, which I think is one of the critical areas that we need to encourage. I am sure that it will also be represented properly and effectively on the council that is about to be formed.
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