Page 1026 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 19 March 1991
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... the forward estimates indicate that an adjustment of some $20m is required to achieve a balanced ... Budget in 1991-92 and this gap increases to $39m in the later years.
This raises the issue of the Commonwealth Government's shoddy treatment of the Territory and the fact that, in handing self-government to this Territory, the Commonwealth was really most concerned with its own budget cuts. Whatever the arrangements were going to be and whatever the nature of the particular government that was likely to be in place, it was quite clear that the self-government exercise was, as much as anything, a cut to the ACT and that it would be the responsibility of the ACT Government and the members of the ACT Assembly to wear the ignominy associated with those cuts instead of it being pointed directly where it most clearly belongs - in the hands of the Commonwealth. The Chief Minister said further:
The recent rejection of my claim for assistance from the Transitional Funding Trust Account for restructuring projects ... means that we are unable to cut our reliance on new borrowings below the budgeted figure of $44m.
This also illustrates the attitude at the time of the Federal Government, although one must not overlook the negotiating skills of this Alliance Government, which went to its Federal counterpart indicating that if it borrowed it could manage. I think in that regard the negotiating skills leave something to be desired. I am sure that we have learnt a lesson about dealing with the Commonwealth Government as far as that goes, and I doubt whether it will get it that easy again.
The Chief Minister set out the specific targets for review as follows:
Reviews of the land, policing, roads and environment and conservation programs are currently under way and further programs will be covered prior to the finalisation of the 1991-92 budget.
It is interesting that the areas under review are areas of great concern to the people of Canberra. I have spoken on many occasions about policing, and if I have time I will make a few more comments later this evening. As far as environment and conservation are concerned, a review has been talked about rather than the possibility of their being slashed. Nevertheless, I emphasise that those particular aspects of our society are the ones that people are becoming more and more concerned with. I would hate to think that they are, in fact, the areas targeted - that is not what has been suggested; they are under review - but, if they appear to be areas that are targeted, then I think we have to very carefully weigh up what we will see as a loss as opposed to what we will gain from a financial cut. The overview in the document, on the very first page, says:
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