Page 3332 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 18 September 1990
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The atrocities that they are committing, Mr Deputy Speaker, are particularly relevant for the Minister to whom I respond in relation to health because of his inept handling of the schools matter and his attempts to destroy the public health system in the ACT. This Minister, in his response to the Leader of the Opposition, could not rise above hurling abuse at the Leader of the Opposition. Bear in mind, Mr Deputy Speaker, that this Government in which this Minister participates could not even spend the money which was budgeted for in the first budget for the Territory under self-government. This Government opposite is so lazy that it cannot spend the money. The money, of course, would have been spent on issues related to social justice, a claim that Mr Collaery seems to make in respect of his participation in the provision of government to this Territory.
Of course, that is the greatest joke of all times. A little while ago Mr Jensen interjected and talked about the fraudulent behaviour of members of the Opposition. The fraud has been committed by the members of the Government. But in my view the greatest blame for that fraud lies on members of the Residents Rally, because it has been the members of the Residents Rally who have made the major contribution to ensuring that the Liberal philosophy of government for the ACT has been implemented. For example, it has been Mr Jensen, Mr Collaery and Dr Kinloch who have made sure, by turning around on their own policies, that this Government could destroy the health and education systems in the Territory. Mr Jensen, Mr Collaery and Dr Kinloch have to bear the responsibility for that because it is theirs.
I have said before that this is a lazy Government and I do not think anything demonstrates that more clearly than the budget of the members opposite. And it has nothing to do with social justice. A couple of recent events should point out to the Government that they are on the wrong track. A little while ago there was a hospitals debate organised at the Australian National University. I notice the Minister is still stinging from the resounding defeat that he received at that debate, and rightly so because his case was poorly put in the first place, and lacked any convincing evidence, except, I should say, for yours, Mr Deputy Speaker. I noted you were among the very few who supported the Minister in that debate.
The reason why the Minister lost the debate was that his case was poor; it was lazy, along with the entire approach that has been taken by this Government. The hospitals debate was lost by this Minister because of the action that he is taking in ripping down the structure and delivery of public hospital services in the ACT. He is responding to the wishes of his masters in the business sector because the masters of the Liberal Party do not want to pay their share for the delivery of public hospital services in the ACT.
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