Page 2296 - Week 08 - Thursday, 7 June 1990
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planning, development and environment legislation package which we initiated last year. The draft legislation which it has tabled so far is a direct descendant of our discussion paper and the drafting instructions which we set in place last year, and it is still all in draft form.
This Government has as yet made no decision on section 19, which is one of the most important planning decisions affecting the future of Civic and a potential large contributor to Territory revenue. Yet again, the lack of credibility emerges when we see that the Chief Minister said last December, six months ago, "This matter must be resolved quickly". Well, Mr Speaker, why is it still unresolved? We have had six months on a matter that the Chief Minister clearly considered urgent. The simple fact is that the Chief Minister and his Government are unable to make a decision.
Then, of course, we have the Government's contradictory behaviour on the environment. We have seen that, while this Chief Minister professes a concern for the environment, he cannot answer the most simple questions on the subject in this Assembly. His much-heralded environment strategy has been described by the environment movement as "wishy-washy". It is all talk and no action. It is full of examine, examine, examine and consider, consider, consider.
The Government's real actions which affect the environment are typified by the Ainslie Transfer Station closure. That was a decision to make small savings for the Government and transfer large expenditure to private individuals, a decision which dealt a body blow to recycling in north Canberra, a decision which will see private cars being driven an estimated one million extra kilometres per year, on your own figures. Again, I say that there is no integrity, no credibility.
On 7 December, Mr Kaine talked about education. He talked about a schools board of management which would reverse a supposed centralising of control and restriction of input from those involved in education. Mr Kaine was going to "restore the ideals of participation and autonomy". He promised a green paper which would be released early this year. The Chief Minister lacks credibility because there has been no green paper. What we have seen instead is a cynically named "restructuring" proposal, the effect of which is the total destruction of the neighbourhood school system. The secrecy, lack of information and half-formed proposals from the Government give the lie to those statements about participation and autonomy in education.
Then we turn to health. Nobody ever expected the Liberals to support the public health system. Their agenda has always been to place health services in the hands of private individuals for private profit. Nevertheless, I believe even the most hardened cynics must have been somewhat unnerved by Mr Kaine's casual dismissal of the
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