Page 1857 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 30 May 1990
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point that, apparently, is entirely lost on those opposite. They seem to believe that it is possible for governments to spend endlessly, that necessarily more money produces better services, and things go on in that fashion. We know, from the bitter experience of past years, particularly in the Federal sphere, that it does not follow, that it is possible to reduce the cost of services without necessarily reducing the services themselves.
Ms Follett has been assiduous in her refusal to countenance methods of reducing the size of the ACT public sector - and I am referring here to the ACT's public service rather than the Commonwealth one - even though it is quite apparent that the ratio of citizens to ACT public servants is very high. It should be possible, on the experience of other States and Territories, to deliver the same quality of service without the same employment burden, if you like, on the ACT taxpayer. That is extremely obvious. It is also obvious, with respect, to some members of Ms Follett's Opposition. Mr Wood, I recall, was at the Aranda Primary School the other night and was pressed on this point.
Mrs Grassby: So was I.
MR HUMPHRIES: I think you were late, Mrs Grassby.
Mrs Grassby: I was there for at least an hour. I had been to three other meetings before.
MR HUMPHRIES: Mrs Grassby, you may be able to confirm hearing Mr Wood say when you were there - notwithstanding what Ms Follett said before - that if the ACT Labor Government had stayed in office any longer it would have been turning its attention to the number of public servants being employed to see whether all of them were necessary. Those are the words that Mr Wood used, but it appears to be what Ms Follett is attacking on the part of this Government. I wonder what the difference of views exposed there really means. I think it indicates that there is an obvious perception on the part of people with commonsense - and I put Mr Wood in that category - - -
Mr Wood: We don't threaten genocide.
MR HUMPHRIES: I see, so I am guilty of genocide? I understand. It is pretty clear that sensible people can see that any sensible government has to explore the question of reducing costs without necessarily reducing the number of people and the cost of delivering those services.
I think the comments that Ms Follett has made in respect of schools have been rebutted fairly conclusively by this morning's comments. I want to make one more reference to her confidence in the Federal Government to go easy on the ACT. She keeps repeating the fact that the ACT has two more years of transitional funding and is confident in those circumstances that somehow we will survive quite well on present levels of spending for the next two years.
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