Page 2611 - Week 12 - Thursday, 16 November 1989
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You are going to save $10m on that. I think we owe these people the right to know what happened. We have taken the country away from them. We have taken everything else. So it does not really matter! Let them go off and hang themselves in gaols; it does not matter! I am not sure that they do that. That is why I think we need to have some information on whether they are really hanging themselves.
The next one is the savings of $23m on education and training programs for Aboriginals. You believe it does not matter. They gave you the country, but it does not matter to you if you do not do anything for them.
There is also the sale of the Trade Union Training Authority. You are always complaining about the unions. Here we are saying we are going to train these people so they understand about their work and the conditions of work. That does not matter to you; you will take $9m off that. What do you want to train them for? They do not really matter to you.
Mr Berry: It makes them weaker if you do not train them.
MRS GRASSBY: Yes, it makes them weaker.
Mr Berry: Don't train them.
MRS GRASSBY: No, don't train them; this is the way to go! One other matter which I have read about and which I thought was absolutely terrible concerned the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. I know Mr Humphries was very upset that we wasted time talking about the fact that six million people were put in a gas chamber. My point is that we should be looking into how many people who were part of that were brought to this country under the great migration program. I would like to know, and I think more money should be spent to find out because, if these people did it, I am not sure that they would not support somebody to do it again.
You will be abolishing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, saving $10m. These people have a right to have it, and you are talking about this great tax policy you have.
I read about the sickness benefit with absolute horror, especially the fact that you would make everybody take a test before they could get any sickness benefits and the 12 months residence requirement for benefits. This will virtually abolish the family sponsorship scheme for all but the wealthy. Sponsoring families will have to weigh up the risk that the immigrant family might be involved in a car accident or have some other problem. These people come here - usually their first language is not English - and they need help. You are going to abolish that.
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