Page 363 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 20 February 1990
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Democrats and so forth, all of whom also have something particular to offer to the electorate. So not having committed myself to anybody, but having pointed to the difficulty - - -
Mrs Grassby: It is called two bob each way, Mr Speaker.
MR MOORE: I have yet to make my decision. Having presented that, I think there is a good lesson to be learnt from the Federal election for people in the ACT when they come to vote for representatives in the Legislative Assembly. Mr Berry made some comments about the wonderful job the Hawke Government had done and the terrible job the Liberals would do. I am quite happy to allow the Liberals to handle that, but the fact is that the normal salary earners, independent of the statistics that governments like to bring up, know that they are a hell of a lot worse off than they were a few years ago.
MR STEFANIAK (9.29): Indeed, as Mr Moore quite rightly said, the average salary earner is much worse off than he or she was years ago. One of the slogans that has won a few elections in the past, both here and in other democratic countries is: just ask yourself how well off you were in February 1983 and how well off you will be in March 1990. So many people out there in ordinary, everyday Australia are worse off that it will ensure that the Hawke Government does not get its fourth term and that it will go down in history as having had only three terms, historic though they may have been.
One of the most disgraceful things about the Hawke Government was the Prime Minister's proud boast in the 1987 elections that no Australian child will be living in poverty by 1990. Here we are in 1990, and we see every day increasing instances of child poverty. What a mockery the reality of that makes of the Prime Minister's boast of 1987.
It will be interesting to see what happens in the ACT, because there are a number of candidates for the two Federal seats. As I think the Chief Minister indicated, Mr Langmore is being challenged by Sandie Brooke for our party in Fraser. She is a single parent who knows what it is like to struggle to bring up children on a very small wage. In the seat of Canberra we have battling Kenny Koala. He and his wife have to work, and they work from week to week. They are opposed by the sitting member, Mrs Kelly, on her fat ministerial salary, with her husband on a very good wage as well. She lives in Red Hill - - -
Mrs Nolan: The member for North Sydney?
MR STEFANIAK: I have heard that might be the case. She lives in Red Hill, and Kenny Koala or Bill Mackey lives in Tuggeranong. He is a battler. How the times have changed!
Mr Duby: A battler, a little Aussie battler!
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .