Page 4659 - Week 16 - Tuesday, 27 November 1990
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Government one point of congratulations. Mr Kaine said that it was Liberal Party policy that they would abolish the CDF and this is one of the few examples where this Alliance Government is doing something that was in its policy. Usually they rat on their policy and do the opposite, which is perhaps a reason for expecting some support for Labor's opposition. If in fact they promised to do this, it is one up for the books - Government policy actually implementing something that they went to the people on. Nothing in the Rally policy is so implemented and, certainly, the No Self Government policy is well and truly out the window.
MR SPEAKER: Relevance please, Mr Connolly.
MR CONNOLLY: Mr Speaker, I was particularly anticipating Mr Jensen's remarks. We had heard from the Government front bench but we had not heard from any of the members who, as Ms Follett indicated earlier, had already expressed their views on this matter. A majority of members present in this Assembly have expressed their view that this CDF abolition is going to short-change the community groups.
The Estimates Committee, and that means Mr Jensen, Mr Stefaniak and Mrs Nolan, after hearing and examining Ministers and taking the full evidence, was unanimously of the view that this proposal was going to diddle the sporting groups, because the money that is presently available is not just the amount that is put into the pot every year; it is that amount plus the interest. All that the Government has indicated to the community groups it will do is continue maintaining, they say in real terms - and let us accept them on their word for the moment - - -
Ms Follett: Why?
MR CONNOLLY: As some of our speakers have mentioned, you would be a bit silly to accept anything on the word of this Government, but let us accept them on their word. They are going to maintain in real terms what is now going into the CDF pot and it will continue to be disbursed to community groups. But that still leaves us short the interest. The Leader of the Opposition read the quotes from the Estimates Committee report at paragraphs 5.26 to 5.28 and the recommendation; so I will not read them again. But the point remains that the members of the Labor Opposition and Mr Moore - we do not know what Mr Stevenson does, because he is not here - and three members of the backbench of the Government have clearly expressed the view that it is a rort to get rid of a payment.
Mr Jensen: What a lot of rot. Misrepresentation again!
MR CONNOLLY: It is a rort to avoid paying that interest component and the community groups are going to be worse off under this ill-considered - - -
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