Page 1178 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 22 August 1989
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
MR DUBY: Nevertheless, out of the 41, let us face it, I can find a couple that are genuine initiatives which need to be complimented. There are other things that have happened in the magic 100 days of this Government that need to be listed also. In the 100 days of government we have had increases in rates on private residences and commercial residences, some of them, as admitted today by the Chief Minister, of up to 250 per cent. We have had increases in motor vehicle registration charges. We have had increases in motor vehicle licence fees. We have had increases in ambulance levies, which have been put on people who are paying for private medical insurance.
We have had decreased assistance to community groups. Mr Collaery was going to mention before he was cut off the Galilee group, which provides an excellent service to youth - not necessarily homeless youth - in danger in the ACT. We have had decreased funding for hospitals, a decrease in the nurses' working conditions, and decreased funding for education.
I believe next week we will see teachers having a rally outside this very Assembly to complain about their treatment by this Government. We have had a decrease in the number of preschools. It is touted in here that we have cut the preschool fee. If you have not got preschools, you do not need a fee, do you? You have only got to think about it that way.
So let us get these things in perspective. It is all very well to issue, at the expense of tree after tree after tree, item after item after item, what are supposed to be grand initiatives. Let us get it in perspective. There are only a few things there that are worth while, and the rest of them are, frankly, waffle.
MR STEVENSON (5.11): Mr Speaker, indeed the matter of the Chief Minister's last 100 days is a matter of public importance.
Mr Kaine: I am glad you said "last".
MR STEVENSON: It is a pleasure. Specifically, I would like to look at the Chief Minister's dealings with the citizens of the ACT. By this I mean with their representatives in the house, and I should say the representatives of the large majority of citizens in the ACT. There are some major concerns that I wish to point out. We were told that the Government would be open and consultative. The Government controls much of the information that is necessary for the effective working of the ACT. Without this information the opposition in the Assembly is largely hamstrung. So we need to get information from the Ministers.
One example is that on 31 May, Michael Moore, in this Assembly, asked the Chief Minister how much money was being spent on the personal staff for each party in this Assembly. That is information that would be readily available and
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .