Page 2401 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 7 August 1990
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Members interjected.
MR KAINE: When the Commonwealth gave us self-government it said we had a three-year transition period to adjust to the figures which were then in the ACT budget. We are not even through that three-year period yet. This is the last of the three. You are saying that because there are some excess figures, in your view, in the police vote - - -
Mr Moore: I am just using your logic that you used with education. It is the same logic.
MR KAINE: We are not closing the total gap in education in this year.
Mr Connolly: More schools to close.
MR KAINE: We are not the only government to close schools, Mr Connolly, and if you ever get back in government, which I doubt, you will have to face the same problems and the same decisions that this Government is facing. It will be interesting to see what you do. It will be interesting to see what you do when the time comes and you have to confront the issue. You see, you are all very sanctimonious when you are sitting over there. You did not make any decisions last year. You were not there so you would not know, but your leader, who was the Chief Minister and Treasurer, made no major decisions in connection with last year's budget.
Mr Connolly: We did not close any schools.
MR KAINE: No, and you did not close the budget gap either. That is the point. If you want to close the budget gap you have to make decisions to do so. This is exactly what we are doing. We will make the same decisions about the police force, now that it is our police force and comes on to our budget and is added to our budget base. Over the next three years or so we will make the same proportional reductions in the police vote as we are making across the original vote to which the police force has now been added. But in no way, just as your Government - - -
Mr Moore: Nothing to do with my Government. I do not have a government.
MR KAINE: The one that you are associated with - you are sitting over there so it is your choice to be there. Your Government could not close the education gap last year; in fact, not only could they not close it, they made no effort to close it. When they nibbled around the edges and the unions objected, they backed away from every last cent; even when they were nibbling around the edges they backed away. They did not have the courage - - -
Members interjected.
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