Page 4420 - Week 15 - Tuesday, 19 November 1991
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There has been, and will be, a sustained long-term loss to the Territory which practically exceeds most of the new sports grants per annum. Political imperatives have resulted in an inequitable division of government money for sport in this Territory. Never again should political pork-barrelling dictate the division of funds for sport. I trust that the initiatives taken by Mr Collaery, as Minister, for there to be an independent body to advise and assist in a politic hands-off situation and for sport to gain the right to self-determination will be carried through.
In the Rally's view there must be an early and public inquiry into all this as soon as possible. The evidence is available not only from within the Government, but also from outside government, from Federal officials and from the Australian Institute of Sport. It is interesting to note that, because of the delay caused by the ACT Government in completing the upgrade of the warm-up track, the AIS had to cancel a meet. This cost sponsorship for an Australia Day sports carnival in the sum of $29,000, and had other implications. The AIS may wish to speak about what the arrangement has meant to it.
Alas, the rugby league players seem to have been the pawns in the whole affair. Members should speak privately to those players. It is illuminating to find that the push to go to Bruce did not come from the players, the other victims in this affair. I wonder whether most of them would not have liked to stay in Queanbeyan.
In conclusion, this affair was managed by the Labor Party, which has failed before the Estimates Committee to explain the full financial implications for the Territory. This same party must be judged at the forthcoming election on its lack of candour and its apparent financial irresponsibility.
MR STEFANIAK (5.29): Mr Speaker, firstly, I might anticipate Mrs Grassby and her dissenting report. Mrs Grassby, of course, being a government member, a loyal comrade, naturally you would expect her to put in a report such as she did. I do not think I need say anything more in relation to that.
There are a couple of general points I would like to raise. Firstly, the ACT, as a self-governing entity now, is going to have to fight a lot harder for our true share of Commonwealth funds. The ACT has a special position amongst the States and Territories of the Commonwealth because we are the seat of the national capital, and the Commonwealth Parliament should never ever be allowed to forget that. That means that the ACT has special responsibilities and special rights to funding that differentiate it from the other States.
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