Page 815 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 16 June 1992
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Government provides to the community. We will implement our election commitments to new programs and services. We will provide the stability needed for the long-term creation of employment in the private sector, and we will provide government support for employment and training. The budget strategy is designed to allow us to concentrate on those in our community who are most in need.
Madam Speaker, the Government does not see the annual Territory budget as an end in itself. The budget is a tool for the implementation of the Government's policies and programs. Our budgets will serve the interests of the community, not the reverse. In seeking to implement our agenda, we have no choice but to live within the very firm constraints imposed on the ACT by the continuing cutbacks in Commonwealth funding - cutbacks which have been far more severe than those faced by any State. Moreover, the increased demand for services resulting from the effects of the national recession and national issues such as health funding policies add significantly to the challenge we face to create a fairer society.
We must reduce the cost of delivering government services in order to sustain the services themselves. No area of expenditure can be quarantined in the search for increased efficiency. The Government will not compromise on the quality of services to the community. We will not impose an unreasonable tax burden and we will not resort to passing on unwarranted debt to future generations. This presents an enormous challenge over the next three years. We have no option but to continue the program of restructuring, such as is already occurring in health and in ACTION. This must be extended to other areas of the Government. We must be able to provide services more efficiently and at lower cost than they have been provided by the Commonwealth in the past. We must also be conscious of the increasing social, budgetary and environmental costs of our ever-expanding suburbs. Opportunities for more people to benefit from our existing infrastructure must be found.
Madam Speaker, there is a clear distinction between the approach of Labor and that of our opponents. The Liberals do not believe that we need an economy with both a public sector and a private sector. They are simply prejudiced. As a Labor Government we recognise that the two sectors are interdependent. The community needs and demands the services provided by both sectors. Their viability and capacity to provide jobs for our community depends on the continued health of both. That is why Labor stands for a strong public sector and a thriving private sector. We are conscious of our responsibility to the community and to our employees to provide stable government employment, particularly in a recession. Our efforts to make the public sector more efficient will be designed to provide a sustainable public employment base into the future.
In framing the budget strategy we have taken into account the ACT's financial performance so far this year. Our budget has experienced a higher than expected call for resources from several areas. As was recognised at last Friday's Premiers Conference, these are largely the result of national rather than local pressures. They will continue to flow on into 1992-93 and beyond.
I have taken the opportunity to consult with peak groups, including the Business Council, the ACT Council of Social Service, the Trades and Labour Council and the Economic Priorities Advisory Committee of the ACT. They have given me valuable feedback both on the Government's policy platform and on their visions
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