Page 1465 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 1 May 1990
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going to take us back to a laissez faire economy? Of course not.
While we are discussing these matters I think it might be worth while for us to look at the comments that our Opposition's Federal Labor people are making about the state of the ACT economy. I have here, Mr Speaker, a transcript of a television report of 20 April where the new Federal Territories Minister, Mr Simmons, is quoted as saying that today he warned that the ACT Government will need to go on making tough financial decisions to make ends meet.
Mr Collaery: Do you hear that?
MR DUBY: That is right. The report goes on to say that Mr Simmons takes the Territory portfolio at a time when the ACT Government is set to make major cuts to education, claiming inadequate funding guarantees from the Commonwealth. And what does Mr Simmons have to say about it? He says, "Well, if you are going to be in government and you think it is going to be all a Sunday afternoon picnic, you are in for a big shock, because that is not the reality". We are living in tough economic times and people expect governments to make decisions, and to make hard decisions.
Mr Collaery: That is the big Labor party, not the side-valve outfit we have got opposite.
MR DUBY: That is right. This is not that embarrassing disgrace we have across the road from us - the disgrace that so many people were so pleased to see dispatched to the opposition benches only in December. That very crowd was leading us up the path of rack and ruin.
We have listened to a whole variety of people complain tonight. We have heard Mr Wood say that in the Chief Minister's budget statement there are four major plans. As far as I could hear, he only got to the first. The first is to promote the development of the private sector in the ACT and the regional economy. He then went on to say, "Goodness gracious, what have we done for the private sector?". Well, Mr Speaker, all I can say is that when this Government took over I think the collective sigh of relief from the private sector could have been heard in Oodnadatta, because they were suffering; they did not know which way to turn; and, not only that, there was no firm direction for them to follow.
I think that is well-known and it is well-assessed. Even the Trades and Labour Council, the union side of politics in this town, at least knows where it stands now. Its members are not forever in doubt as to which way the Government will hop, depending on which way they have consulted or which way the public opinion polls may be going.
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