Page 230 - Week 01 - Thursday, 15 February 1990
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MR DUBY (Minister for Finance and Urban Services) (4.00): Thank you for referring to me, Mr Wood; I think that is a record in one speech. I think I counted 18 times that my name got mentioned, so it will look good in Hansard.
When I first saw this notice of matter of public importance in the daily program today I had to read it twice, because it appeared to me that some words had been left off the end. It is about the disastrous impact upon the people of Canberra of the economic and financial policies pursued and alluded to by the ACT Government. I actually had to go down and check at the Assembly office to see if they did not leave off "up to 5 December 1989", because that is the situation we had in the ACT here. There was a disastrous effect upon the people of the ACT under the policies of the previous Government. The policies that this Government is pursuing are economically sound and designed to improve and build upon the economic well-being of the ACT.
If we look at the statistics that have come out in recent months we note the current state of play in the ACT. We see that the unemployment rate in the ACT is higher than the national average. Who can remember the last time we had a higher unemployment rate in the ACT than in the rest of Australia? What is that a result of? It is undoubtedly a result of the policies that were implemented by the previous Government. Economic employment growth has declined to one of the lowest rates ever in ACT history. Once again, it is a simple result of the policies of this previous ACT Government.
In her speech Ms Follett continually referred to the ideology of the Kaine coalition Government, the Kaine Alliance Government and said it was a blatant example of ideology ruling. Well, if ever there was a case of the pot calling the kettle black, it is the case of Ms Follett referring to ideology. Look at the ideologies we have got arrayed against us on the other side of this house. We have got leftists, we have got rightists, we have got centrists, we have got green Nimbys and we have got "sieg heilers". All of them, what policies have they got?
Mrs Grassby: Who are the "sieg heilers"?
MR DUBY: Well, I often wonder. I often wonder what possible result of policies could we get out of that motley ratbag collection of people over there. I ask you, Mr Speaker, what a crazy thing this is, that this motion should be before us today - the disastrous impact upon the people of Canberra. Honestly and truly, it is ludicrous. Just think, some trees went into this notice paper. Is it not awful? It is disgusting. I would like to emphasise the matters raised by the Chief Minister and Treasurer in this debate today. The Government gives the highest possible priority to overcoming any economic and financial difficulties faced by the ACT now and in the future, as Commonwealth funding is brought into line with the States and Northern Territory. The Alliance Government is
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