Page 4662 - Week 16 - Tuesday, 27 November 1990
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next two years, 1990-91, 1991-92 - that is, at least until the end of this Government. That guarantees funding and guarantees funding plus the CPI increase. He made a number of comments throughout the budget speech and on other occasions to reiterate that. I have heard him say it, I think publicly, on about four or five occasions. He did that to allay fears - fears, largely pushed by the Opposition, that this is in fact some sort of a rort.
The Community Development Fund was established for a purpose. If, after a two-year period, some future government, be it this Government or be it a future Labor Government, reneges and does not give the required amount of support, which used to be given under the Community Development Fund but will now be given from Consolidated Revenue to various community groups, they will pay the obvious electoral penalty that will result. There is no magic in the Community Development Fund. It was set up for a purpose by a Liberal Government. It is now being abolished by a Government which includes Liberals, and Mr Connolly, as he has stated, accepts that it is Liberal Party policy.
As long as the system is administered correctly, as I am sure it will be, groups that are deserving of funds will continue to get them. Other groups that may not have got them in the past and will be after funds and deserve to get funds will be considered and hopefully will get them, and the situation really will not change. Indeed, the procedures for giving money to various groups will remain largely unchanged by this Government. This has again been stated by various people in this Government. On page 10 of the budget speech the Chief Minister stated:
Procedures for applications and approval of grants will remain the same as before.
In the sporting area that is certainly so. There is no procedure to change the way applications and approvals of grants will be done there. To my knowledge, and certainly I think to the Deputy Chief Minister's knowledge, there are no proposals that that be the case. So, really, I think the Opposition is making a storm in a tea cup, certainly for the remainder of the term of this first Assembly. We will see what happens after that. That will be a responsibility of some future government from 1992, be it this one or be it a government of some other complexion. There is no magic whatsoever in this fund and we are really just falling into line with other self-governing Territories and States in the Commonwealth.
MR MOORE (10.26): It seems to me that there are two prime reasons for the introduction of this particular Bill and the second of those really has come out this evening in a great deal of discussion. It has to do with the fact that the word "ossified" has been used so often. The Government is now in a position where they can move the people who
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