Page 348 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 20 February 1990
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the Federal Labor Government was proposing to get rid of 9,000 Federal positions. It was amazing that in the media no-one except, I think, radio 2SSS believed that. Yet three days later, after its re-election, the Federal Labor Government indicated that it would get rid of, I believe it was, 9,000 Federal public service positions. I find it somewhat hypocritical when the members opposite complain about the figure of 3,000 that is being bandied about here.
I think it is painfully obvious that this Government cannot spend money that it does not have. A $100m shortfall in a budget of approximately $1.5 billion is being talked about. That is a very considerable amount of money. We certainly do not want to get into deficit budgeting. If we do not have it, any responsible government - and this is a responsible government - has to look at ways of making cuts, making our limited budget go further. This Priorities Review Board is, I think, one of the most cost-effective and reasonable ways of ensuring that that happens.
Some speakers have touched on Federal government funding. We are not in the lucky position of the Northern Territory which, when it attained self-government, had five years of funding. We have only some 16 months left. Since May last year we have seen evidence of the Federal Government's attitude towards providing funds for this Territory. When the former Chief Minister went to the Premiers Conference she was robbed of, I think, $22m or $23m, which was to be placed in trust. We certainly have not seen any of that. Are we ever likely to see that again?
Mr Berry: They wouldn't trust you with it, Bill.
MR STEFANIAK: They did not trust you lot with it either, Wayne. In relation to the asbestos problem we have also seen evidence of the Federal Government's attitude. The Minister for Finance and Urban Services today spoke to a paper indicating what we would be paying and what contribution the Federal Government would make. Mr Speaker, asbestos was put into houses in the ACT when the Commonwealth ran the Territory. Clearly, the Commonwealth Government - the Federal Labor Government which is the current Government - is responsible for paying for the removal of all of that asbestos. But has it done that? No.
The last Government asked the Commonwealth Government nicely. I can recall Mrs Grassby, when she was Minister for Housing and Urban Services, in answer to some questions that I asked her, saying, "Oh, yes, we'll ask nicely and maybe then we'll get tough". But that certainly did not have any effect at all. There is not much likelihood of its paying up now. Certain people have even been threatening legal action, but still we do not get any response from it on that issue. We are paying for a lot of the cost of the removal of asbestos. I think that just goes to indicate what level of support we are likely to get from the Federal Government.
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