Page 1695 - Week 08 - Thursday, 28 September 1989
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At the same time the Government has commenced on a long process of addressing several of the pressing problems, namely, the depressed economic conditions, the Grants Commission's assessed overfunding, and a lack of a responsible and responsive approach so far by the Commonwealth Government towards the ACT.
The budget has been framed in the context of a number of important outstanding financial issues which require the immediate attention of the Commonwealth Government. I am referring, of course, Mr Speaker, to the Commonwealth Government so far not releasing funds from the transitionary fund account; the land grab that has been defined in the national capital plan; and the run-down condition of assets transferred to the ACT at the time of self-government.
Mr Kaine accuses me of hiding behind the Commonwealth Government, but we cannot escape the fact that it is responsible for those actions. I say again that the Commonwealth must bear its fair share of responsibility; it must respond positively to our reasonable requests; and by doing so it will allow my Government to address now the problems that it has passed onto us.
The budget has been developed in a climate of open discussion. I have heard some pretty cynical comments about our consultative process. I am not a cynical person. I entered into that consultative process, as did all members of the Government, in a genuine spirit of cooperation, in a genuine desire to know the wishes of the community.
The consultative arrangement was a unique experiment in the formulation of a public sector budget. As I think Mr Berry observed, it was not perfect in its execution on this first occasion, but it will be next time. For one thing, we will have a much longer period in which to conduct our consultations. I believe that, once we have refined that process, it will be an even more valuable process than it has been this year.
But I should say, Mr Speaker, as I said on Tuesday, that nothing in the consultative process convinced the Government that there was a flaw in the basic principles underlying the initial budget statement. The development of a sound economic base for the ACT, through the implementation of policies firmly grounded in social justice, has always been our aim and is still our aim. The new policies on both the capital and the recurrent side of the budget implement those principles. So, Mr Speaker, the budget will provide a framework for employment growth as well as much required assistance to those most in need in our society.
As a result of the consultative process, the Government has accepted - and we have done so genuinely; not in the kind
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