Page 3337 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 18 September 1990
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available to members of this house. It is an extraordinary position that the legislators have no way of knowing what the law is from day to day. I would hope that the moneys allocated for electronic publishing of legislation are quickly moved in the direction of providing a paste-up or update service of legislation rather than merely an electronic form of ongoing statutes. The need is to look to the past rather than the future in that area.
So, in terms of portfolio responsibilities, I am not able to assail the Government for cutting back because the law and justice area is one where massive new responsibilities have fallen to the Territory and, accordingly, there have been massive increases in expenditure. The main challenge in this area of government revenue is to look to the future and the period next year when this massive increase in expenditure will not be matched by an increase in Commonwealth expenditure. The Territory for the first time will have to make its own harsh decisions about the allocation of resources to policing. That is an area which will be a challenge to us all.
But, Mr Deputy Speaker, on the overall critique of the budget, the answer must be that it is found wanting; that this Government is blindly pursuing its objectives of slash and burn in the public sector in this Territory, an objective which will be resoundingly defeated by the citizens of Canberra when next they have the opportunity.
MR SPEAKER: I call Mr Wood.
Mr Wood: We will have had two speakers from this side.
Mr Stefaniak: Call the Chief Minister then.
Mr Wood: Are you all finished? I do not think everybody on that side has spoken.
Mrs Nolan: The Ministers have.
Mr Wood: That is like the censure motion on Mr Humphries. It displays a distinct lack of confidence.
Mrs Nolan: I totally reject that. It shows all confidence.
Mr Jensen: Wait, Bill. All will be revealed.
Mr Wood: There are five people sitting at the back there.
MR STEFANIAK (5.09): Thank you; I will take it up. It is a very good budget, Mr Speaker. I commend the Chief Minister and Treasurer.
MR WOOD (5.10): There are five people sitting on the Government backbench. I would have thought they would have wanted to use their time to stand up and support the budget. It says a great deal, it says an enormous amount,
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