Page 2205 - Week 07 - Thursday, 6 June 1991
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Mr Speaker, it needs to be stressed just how important construction is to Canberra and the local economy. It is a significant employer in this town and consequently adds to the well-being of many. Let us remember that, when contractors go broke and do not pay their subcontractors, real people and real families suffer. It means that mortgages are threatened and tensions increase in households. Life is made pretty much unbearable for those in such a position as this. This was the reality being faced by many during the Hunt Boilers dispute, when the Minister decided that it had nothing to do with him. He is the Government, but it had nothing to do with him.
That episode, Mr Speaker, was one of the prime examples of how bad and irresponsible this Government could be, but there are many more examples. To highlight the negatively unique style of management which the Urban Services Minister has employed over the past 18 months, it is worth remembering the relatively recent problem that arose in the ACT with the traffic black spots. Let us be clear about this matter. The allocation of Commonwealth funds for those particular traffic black spots represented yet another government debacle, and a typically wasteful use of money.
Having agreed on and adopted a package of national reforms, the ACT became eligible for Commonwealth funds. The responsible Minister, Mr Duby, had to nominate so-called traffic black spots in the Territory and forward them to the Federal Minister, the Hon. Bob Brown, MP. Mr Brown's department then had to ensure that the nominated spots met the necessary criteria to receive the funding. Those black spots did. This process was followed and the ACT did receive the Commonwealth funding. The only problem, however, was that Mr Duby had forgotten to consult with the obvious experts in the area - that is, he did not consult with the Australian Federal Police. As a result, we discovered that Mr Duby appeared to have not given priority to the most dangerous traffic areas in Canberra.
There is no denying that the 18 black spots selected were hazardous. Let us face the facts. Can anybody nominate a truly safe stretch of road anywhere in Australia? But, according to the Australian Federal Police and the statistics, the 18 nominated spots were clearly not the most dangerous in ACT. I cannot begin to understand how the Minister could have arrived at his decision without consulting the Australian Federal Police. But he did exactly this, and in doing so he was acting in that incompetent and irresponsible manner that has become the hallmark of this Government.
Mr Speaker, let me just refer to this paper that was handed to us when we came in here - the Alliance Government's major achievements from December 1989. I can speak only for the area that I am spokesman for, which was my portfolio area of Urban Services, and I am fascinated by
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