Page 3192 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 11 September 1991
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The fact of the matter is that my position on this has never changed. The first point I want to make is that it is my firmly held view that this whole process must not lead to a diminution in the funds available for any of these programs. I think that is a major part of the concern that has been expressed by community groups on the tied grants process.
My second concern is that it is essential that the community should be consulted on this whole process. Great concerns have been expressed over many months, including when Mr Collaery had ministerial responsibility for some of these matters and did not help at all, about the level of consultation and the level of communication that has gone on. I have attempted to address the need for consultation by asking an area of my own department to undertake a consultation process with the community groups in the ACT who are concerned, to establish what their views are, and to communicate to them, to the extent that that is possible, what is going on.
I think that is the correct way to proceed. I also think it is correct to say that there is concern in the community that the Commonwealth's scrutiny and maintenance of standards in these programs is kept on, even after the review by the Special Premiers Conference. Because most of these programs had their genesis in the Commonwealth and because of the very patchy efforts by some States in many of the areas which come under the tied grants programs, I still think that is appropriate, and that is the position I will be arguing for when the time comes.
Rather than attempting to politicise this issue, as Mr Collaery has done, rather than attempting to tie it in to events which may or may not be happening in Federal Parliament, we should concentrate on the needs of our own community, on an ACT perspective. We should be attempting to obtain the very best possible outcome for our ACT community groups and for the clients served by those programs in the ACT. That is what I will do, and I will do it in consultation with the people concerned.
MR COLLAERY: I ask a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. In view of the Chief Minister's failure to confirm explicitly that she opposes the untying of grants in the welfare area - a claim made by National Shelter - will the Chief Minister acknowledge that her comment that tied grants are being looked at in a preliminary way is a gross understatement? Is the Chief Minister aware that on 12 April 1991 the President of the ALP and Premier of South Australia, Mr Bannon, wrote to the Prime Minister - - -
MR SPEAKER: Order! Mr Collaery, a supplementary question should not introduce new information.
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