Page 3023 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 5 December 1989
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determining what are the positions of these two parties opposite.
I will just make a little bit of a nonsense out of some of the remarks that you made, Mr Kaine. I think one of the statements you made was that some dreadful imposts were being placed on the small businesses of Canberra. You know, in relation to payroll tax, that most employers in the Territory miss out on it. So do not mislead this house.
In relation to the alleged threat against the Speaker, may I say, Mr Speaker, with the deepest respect, that I have a great deal of difficulty coping with what you put to this house today. I know that I explained very clearly to you my reasons in relation to the X-rated video tax, and I know that at the time that I explained them to you there was no complaint from you about my challenging your independence in this place. For you to come out in this place, Mr Speaker, with the greatest respect, and claim that there has been some challenge to your independence, I think, is grossly misleading.
I think that the issue has been made very clear by my colleague that this is a budgetary matter and, of course, where funds are withdrawn from the budget there is a threat that further pressures will be placed on individual budgets. It is well known, and pointed out often by those opposite, that the health system in the ACT needs every dollar it can get. I can say, in line with Mrs Grassby, that, if the issue was whether the funds were to be supplied to the Speaker in relation to this Assembly or to some needy area of health policy, I would support in Cabinet the allocation of those funds to the area of health under threat and I would not withdraw from that position.
Mr Speaker, under the leadership of Rosemary Follett the first six months of self-government in the portfolio of Community Services and Health have been a great success for the ACT Labor Government and for the people of Canberra. This has been exemplified by the number of situations which have been successfully negotiated. We have answered those situations with solutions that maintain the Government's commitment to supplying the people of the ACT with a high-quality health service at a reasonable cost. With these solutions we have honoured our commitment to responsible government in the Australian Capital Territory.
Mr Speaker, the Follett Labor Government is an open and accountable government which is responsive to community priorities and accessible to the people. It is essential for the Government to listen to the needs of the community, for they have demonstrated strong interest in this portfolio. We have sought their input and have listened. For example, the consultative budget process revealed community concern, particularly in relation to welfare, corrective services, hospital and community services.
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