Page 3563 - Week 12 - Thursday, 19 September 1991
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borrow, because we can see that that money will be returned as the office blocks are leased or sold. There are times when borrowing is appropriate, and I believe that with a little more thought this can still be achieved.
There are a series of other smaller issues which I have noted, in terms of the revenue. In most cases they have been taken up already in the rather extensive speech by Mr Kaine - some of which I agreed with - and also by Mr Collaery and Mr Duby.
I would like to conclude by saying that there are very positive aspects to this budget and some problems. The budget itself is still a bureaucratic budget; it still looks after the priorities of the bureaucrats rather than the priorities of the Government. I would hope that after the next election the Government, whoever forms it, will begin early in March to set the priorities of the community as they see them and to write a budget accordingly, so that the budget will be very different from those of this year, the year before, and the year before that.
What we have here is a budget that is very similar to the one that was delivered prior to self-government, the budget we had under our first government, and the budget we had under the Alliance Government. We do not want to fiddle. What we need is, not a budget that just fiddles with the edges, but a budget that sets priorities and distributes the money accordingly.
Whilst I say that, I acknowledge that this Government has been in power for only some two or three months. As far as that goes, it was destined, largely, to have a budget that had already been framed and the conditions set before they came in. Nevertheless, I think it important to make the point that what we have is a bureaucratic budget that largely ignores the social priorities that should be set by the government in power.
My final point is that some specific matters that I disagree with in this budget will be raised in the Estimates Committee and at other times. We have a minority government and it is appropriate for me to support their right to have their budget, even when I disagree with some of it. That is part of a formula for a stable minority government. For that reason, I will not vote against any of the issues and measures raised by this Government as part of this budget, even though I actually do speak against some of them.
MS FOLLETT (Chief Minister and Treasurer) (4.16), in reply: I rise, knowing that I will be closing the debate at this stage of the consideration of the Appropriation Bill. I take it that that is an agreed position with other members.
Mr Jensen: You have to get it to the Estimates Committee; otherwise we will be here all day.
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