Page 1887 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 30 May 1990
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Well, very good; that is an ideological stance that the Liberal Party can come from. As I have explained, we do not criticise the Liberal Party for having firmly held beliefs. We disagree with those beliefs fundamentally, but we do not criticise them for being hypocrites or anything like that for fundamentally believing in smaller government, smaller taxes, lower government services. We favour a higher level of government.
We take the view that certain government services - and education is at the top of our list - are so essential to providing social justice that the community must make the decision. The Liberal Party's move towards privatisation is based on the assumption that individuals are best equipped to make the decisions about the educational opportunities for their children and, at the end of the day, it comes down to a larger private education sector and a sort of safety net public education sector to provide a modicum of educational opportunity for the rest of the community. Well, we fundamentally reject that.
Because of those statements we were being critical of the Government for its excessive attack on slashing government expenditure and its refusal to look at other taxation options. We now know that the absolute commitment to taxation is not an absolute commitment to taxation - watch my lips, as George Bush said - and we know that there will be increased taxes. Our criticism there, and our leader will respond fully to this, is that it will not be equitable across the community; it will favour the business sector and not attack the rest.
If taxation increases do not equitably fall on business and private individuals, you can legitimately be criticised, and you will be. But the Government seems committed to and locked into its strategy of massive assault on the public sector in Canberra. We on this side of the house will continue to oppose that. We will continue, and we are quite happy and proud indeed to say that we will continue, to help community groups mobilise to oppose your drastic cuts. We are certain and confident that when the time comes you will be weighed and found wanting, as my colleague Mrs Grassby said.
MR DUBY (Minister for Finance and Urban Services) (5.12), in reply: Mr Speaker, before I commence my comments I would like to refute the matters raised today in the debate, particularly by Mr Berry, in what I regard as his totally unfounded, unwarranted and scurrilous attacks on the Chief Minister's personal integrity. I would like to put it on record that in my view there is no-one in this Assembly whose personal integrity comes anywhere near that of the Chief Minister.
Mr Berry: Lots of laughter on your side of the house, especially from Mrs Nolan.
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