Page 3255 - Week 11 - Thursday, 13 September 1990
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
necessary for effective and responsible government and this budget backs up our commitment to achieve a more just society for the ACT.
MR MOORE (3.54): I rise feeling quite humorous after hearing Mr Collaery talking about vision, leadership and stability. It is certainly highly amusing. The other morning, the morning after the Chief Minister's budget, Pru Goward introduced the Morning Program by asking the Chief Minister whether this was really the second public service budget or his budget. It seems to me that the other alternative is that it is a budget of the arch-conservatives and that that is the sort of budget that we have actually got. It can be summarised best by looking at where the increase in funding, that is the 15 per cent or approximately $30m increase in capital expenditure, has gone.
It seems to me that the vast majority of people, when looking around Canberra, recognise that our capital infrastructure throughout Canberra is in very good condition, especially when compared with other cities throughout Australia. Nevertheless, this Government has chosen to spend an extra $30m, give or take a bit, on capital infrastructure. So who are the winners out of that particular manoeuvre by this ultra conservative Government? It is the same people who put this ad in the Canberra Times back in July, the people who say the way to save our schools is to save money. I quote:
In other words, if you want to save our schools, you'll want to save our schools money ... Under this program freeloaders can have a field day at the expense of others. Hardly fair.
There they are talking about preschoolers and the freeloaders they are talking about are those who can least afford early childhood education, and - - -
Mr Jensen: What names are on the bottom, Michael?
MR MOORE: I will just get to that, thank you, Mr Jensen. No doubt I will need several extensions of time, but I am sure you will be delighted to give those to me. The people who put this advertisement in the paper also say:
This represents an almighty drain on resources. Clearly, if we are to maintain or improve standards in our schools, something has to be done. And quickly. After all, we're talking about the welfare, livelihoods and future of our children.
These are the people who are saying the way to go is to cut schools. And at that stage, of course, they were talking about cutting 25 schools. The ad was placed by the Australian Federation of Construction Contractors, the Building Owners and Managers Association, the Canberra
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .