Page 238 - Week 01 - Thursday, 15 February 1990
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current economic circumstances of the Territory are attributable to. This was in relation to the issue of the consumer price index for the December quarter. She is quoted as saying that she is disturbed by the ACT December CPI and attributes it to rises in food prices and increases in some ACT administration charges, including rent paid on government housing, motor vehicle registration and hospital and medical services. I challenge the next speaker from the Opposition to explain how the member for Canberra, Ros Kelly, could be saying that when you put a motion which is about the disastrous impact upon the people. This is another boomerang, of course; this is another motion. Clearly this Opposition is going through a mea culpa for its seven or eight months of struggling to know what it had taken over.
There are clear indications that we should be debating positive issues, not negative issues. Let me refer, for example, to an article by a respected finance editor, Ian Davis, in the Canberra Times of 5 February 1990, in which he reported that the:
... managing director of ... one of Australia's leading agricultural consultancies, believes Canberra has a strong future as a centre for agricultural processing, marketing, research and development.
Why do we not, I say to the Opposition, discuss issues positively and try to get on with the future of this Territory? Why are we persisting in lowering the reputation of this Assembly? Why will you not remain in the chamber to continue the debate? Earn your salary in this chamber and put forward sensible propositions for debate. Clearly, you are on your own if you think that the Alliance Government has had any significant impact on the economy to date in the time we have been in government, because you will not find an economist who will support your proposition, and you know it. I challenge your next speaker to find one.
The Master Builders Construction and Housing Association of the ACT was reported on 8 December 1989 as saying that fixing the ACT economy must be the first priority of the current Government. One can go on and look through the informed commentaries around the place - clearly the Opposition lacks an informed position on this or it would still be in government - but you do not find any support for this lacklustre proposition that we have spent the afternoon debating.
I trust that the matters of public importance that will be proposed by the Opposition will be positive issues that will interest the public and that we will not see the mad rush to the door by the media that is occurring day after day when these boring MPIs come on, which are self-destructive for the Opposition and which bring the Assembly into contempt when we see how embarrassed are its Labor
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