Page 2381 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 6 August 1991
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TO THE SPEAKER AND MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY FOR THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
The petition of certain residents of the Australian Capital Territory draws to the attention of the Assembly:
THAT THE DECISION TO CLOSE ROYAL CANBERRA HOSPITAL ON THE ACTON PENINSULA AS AN ACUTE CARE PUBLIC HOSPITAL WAS TAKEN WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OR AUTHORITY OF THE PEOPLE OF CANBERRA.
Your petitioners therefore request the Assembly to:
CALL ON THE GOVERNMENT TO REVERSE ITS DECISION.
By Mrs Grassby (from 2,054) citizens).
Petitions received.
QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
Budget Strategy
MR KAINE: I would like to address a question to the Chief Minister and Treasurer. Ms Follett, over the last year and a half, you have been on record many times as saying that I was overstating the financial problems of the Territory, that I was scaremongering, that there really was not a problem, and that a little bit of nipping and tucking would do. I notice in your budget strategy statement, which was recently issued, that in the opening statement you said that this budgetary problem is not ephemeral. Is that a roundabout way of saying that in fact we did have a problem and that you now acknowledge that that is the case?
MS FOLLETT: I thank Mr Kaine for the question, Mr Speaker. I should like to state at the outset, Mr Kaine, that I do not believe I have ever said that there was not a problem. What there has been in recent months is, in my view, a very poor outcome from the May Premiers Conference, and that occurred while you were Chief Minister and Treasurer. I think it is largely reflected now in the budget that I have to frame.
The fact is that at that Premiers Conference all of the other States and Territories had their funding maintained but the ACT did not. We suffered a real cut, as I have spelt out to this Assembly before. Despite the fact that the Commonwealth has returned to us the transitional funding that it had set aside, the guaranteed funding which it had promised prior to self-government, we still have less money in this budget than in previous years. There is no doubt about that, and that is reflected in the kinds of statements that I have issued on the coming budget.
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