Page 436 - Week 02 - Thursday, 14 May 1992
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Mr Cornwell: They could not leave it on the shelf for another three years, surely.
MR CONNOLLY: He may have got it at a cheaper price because it had been sitting around for a while. Every item on every supermarket shelf has a transport cost attached to it. These reforms, which will lead to efficiency and uniformity in the regulation of the transport industry, will, for the bottom line for the consumer, lead to a lower cost.
It is a clear example of Labor's commitment to micro-economic reform in action. We are, as the Chief Minister indicated, offering up, to some extent, an issue of our sovereignty here. We are saying to the Commonwealth, and the States and Territories, that we are committed to micro-economic reform; we are happy for the ACT to be the basis for template legislation to be applied in all States and Territories. That is a demonstration of the level of our commitment to achieving micro-economic reform, which we continue to achieve and get runs on the board while the Liberals talk.
MR KAINE (Leader of the Opposition) (10.38): Madam Speaker, I am surprised that Mr Connolly chooses to turn this into a political fight. The Chief Minister discussed this matter with me and I agreed that we would take a bipartisan approach to it. Mr Westende agrees that the amendment is a good thing, and yet Mr Connolly springs to his feet and starts attacking the Opposition after having, I thought, reached a bipartisan position on it. Since he has chosen to do so, I think that his comments deserve some response.
He talks about micro-economic reform. I would point out that this document reflects no initiative on the part of this Government whatsoever. This document has come out of the Special Premiers Conference process that started in 1990. I would remind Mr Lamont that I was the person who went to the first Special Premiers Conference, not the present Chief Minister, and I was one of the people who adopted a program of change, one element of which was rationalising transport. It is not an initiative of this Government. For Mr Connolly to get up and say that this is somehow an initiative taken by this Government in a program of reform is typical hogwash, the sort of thing that comes from the Government constantly.
I have yet to see any initiative taken by this Government to restructure or to introduce any kind of micro-economic reform whatsoever. Let us see your initiatives. Where are they? There are none. What this Government is doing is merely a continuation of what the Alliance Government put into place or it is picking up things that have come out of the Federal arena.
Mr Berry: Clearing up the damage in the health system. Come on!
MR KAINE: Not one single initiative has come out of Mr Berry. He is the one with the big mouth. Where are your initiatives? What have you done to change things in the ACT?
Mr Berry: Have a look at the finances in Health. At least we know what is going on. You did not know.
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