Page 2207 - Week 07 - Thursday, 6 June 1991
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As I say, when I read through the area that I am the spokesman for, I can tell you right now, Mr Speaker, that half the things in there were in my budget. All they have done is implemented them. So, all I can say is that the Follett Labor Government was the greatest government that the ACT has seen and will hope to see again. It obviously did a dashed good job while it was in government.
As for Ms Maher talking about TAFE, every single day of the week I get a phone call about people who cannot get into TAFE, or whom it is costing $600 for the whole semester when they are doing only two subjects, but they still have to pay that amount. Do not tell me, Mr Speaker, that Ms Maher can stand up there and tell us what a wonderful job this Government has done with TAFE. It has done a wonderful job, just like it has done with the health system! It has just got rid of it all; there is none. Do not get sick and do not try to get an education in this city, because you cannot get it; it is not available. We had a wonderful system under the Follett Labor Government. But that has all gone by the way, Mr Speaker - completely gone by the way. We have had this city completely changed to what people do not want.
We do not have the government we can afford. We have the government we cannot afford. We want responsible government, government that is caring and government that cares about the people who put it in. What we have ended up with is a whole lot of people who did not want a government, and with the Liberal Government. We all know that all it cares about is looking after the wealthy; to hell with the people who really care in this city.
So, Mr Speaker, I must honestly say that, as far as I am concerned, I am sorry to see that Ms Maher made comments like that. As I listened to her speech, I could not find any part of it that really showed caring for Canberra.
MR STEFANIAK (4.37): It has certainly been an interesting afternoon and a quite interesting result. It would seem that the Residents Rally is going to do back flips, side turns, and probably a fair bit of squirming, and is now going to support Ms Follett in this no-confidence motion. It seems that it will support the former minority Government - that is, if I heard what Mr Collaery just said correctly, and I am still not too sure because one is never too sure anyway. It is a pity he is not here. He is out on his little ego trip with the media, and he will enjoy that, I am sure.
Mr Speaker, governments have to govern, and I think this Alliance Government has done so. I think that perhaps the events of this afternoon have given a clear indication of the Chief Minister's action in getting rid of Mr Collaery.
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