Page 247 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 12 May 1992
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They were wonderful words, fantastic words, and we agree with them wholeheartedly. It will be the private sector that determines the growth of employment in this Territory. Not only Ms Follett agrees with that; even the Canberra Times editorial and the Canberra Business Council do, and I am sure that every member of this Assembly does also. Then we see this ministerial statement today. Once again I quote:
... I hoped to see three major outcomes from the discussions.
We know what she hoped for now, but she was not prepared to tell us last Friday what she hoped for. She was not available then. She says:
This was never on the agenda of yesterday's meeting and was always a matter for the regular financial Premiers Conference next month.
On Friday, had we known that she did not intend to talk about or bring up any issues besides a national electricity grid and - what was the other one, Gary? - the gun laws - - -
Mr Humphries: Gun laws.
MR DE DOMENICO: The gun laws. Perhaps we could have had something to say about that as well. The statement goes on to talk about the Council of Australian Governments being a permanent forum for consultation, intergovernmental consultation. She sees this as continuing consultation. We know that the word "consultation" is one of the favourite words in the repertoire of the Chief Minister. As Mr Kaine quite correctly pointed out, though, there is no manoeuvring in consultation with the Prime Minister now because the Prime Minister has problems of his own. He has at least a $9.7 billion deficit to contend with. It will probably blow out to $10 billion. Obviously he has to try to fight back from that sort of situation.
Mr Kaine: "Fightback" is a good word.
MR DE DOMENICO: Isn't it a good word? I like that. He needs more than seven nations to fight back from that situation as well. We were told only three months ago that the deficit was only $6 billion. Now, all of a sudden, it is $9.3 billion. Heaven knows what it is going to be next week. So, really, the Prime Minister quite rightly said, "Unless you, Ms Follett, like your colleague in Victoria, Mrs Kirner, show to me that you are prepared to go along the trail of micro-economic reform, and even corporatisation and" - dare I say it - "privatisation, you are not going to get one iota out of us". There will be no more $53m packages that you used all in one lump sum last year. But, then again, they did not talk about future financing for the ACT. They are going to talk about that in June, is it, Mr Cornwell?
Mr Cornwell: Yes, we hope that it will be 5 June.
MR DE DOMENICO: We have not yet seen the agenda for that either, though, have we?
Mr Cornwell: No.
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