Page 1884 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 30 May 1990
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MR CONNOLLY (5.00): Mr Speaker, the debate on the Supply Bill, which provides for the expenses of government in the next financial year until the next budget, provides the opportunity for members to comment generally on matters of public importance. This afternoon the Opposition has concentrated its remarks generally on the question of education. I propose in my rather more brief remarks this afternoon to continue that theme and to attempt to summarise the argument that the Opposition has put to this chamber.
Mr Speaker, there is no doubt that, despite the considerable concern that the community has over the matter that the Opposition raised yesterday - that of ministerial propriety - the big issue that will continue to dominate community discussion in Canberra for the next 18 months will be this Government's determination to slash and burn the high level and high quality of government services that have been provided to the community of Canberra.
It is all very well to adopt a rigid ideological stance and think that you can get away with cutting back on government service. The Liberal members of this Government - and we must give them the credit that they actually believe in what they are doing - believe that smaller government is better government and services should, where possible, be provided by the private sector rather than the public sector. They believe that there is something inherently better about a private sector service and inherently worse about a public sector service. They have seen what has happened in New South Wales and have some fantasy that in Canberra you can get away with the Greiner Government strategy. Well, I think they are in no doubt that they will not be able to get away with that.
It is all very well for Mr Greiner and Mr Metherell to target schools in isolated areas of western Sydney and shut them down. It is all very well for Mr Greiner to attack those sorts of communities that do not have particularly good resources to fight government decisions, but the Alliance Government is rapidly learning. Mr Collaery extolled Mr Humphries' virtues for his bravery at attending functions, and I give credit to Mr Humphries. He is prepared to go in and confront an angry community group and justify what he clearly believes in. He is finding, as you are all finding, that the Canberra community is very intelligent and articulate and will not take these attacks lying down. Virtually any school's parents and citizens board in Canberra will comprise a smattering of senior public servants, an academic or two, perhaps some senior officers in the defence service - people who are used to handling government decisions, used to handling information, used to arguing a case and presenting it in a public forum. That is exactly what is happening. The community of Canberra is organising, very effectively, against these cuts, and they will not let the Government forget that.
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