Page 1855 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 19 August 1992
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these schools with facilities needed to offer a broader range of options to the growing number of young people staying on to complete secondary school. As I have said, there is a raft of other positive initiatives in the education area, not only directly for schools but also in the higher education area.
Madam Speaker, the ACT Government's initiatives should be seen as being the primary thrust of employment generation and promotion in the ACT. The announcements made last night by the Federal Government in the budget, as far as they affect the ACT, should be seen as underpinning the recovery which this Government has already initiated in the ACT as far as economic performance is concerned. I say that because this Government took the initiative, along with Mrs Kelly, to set up the intergovernmental task force on development which I chair. We have been able to ensure the fast-tracking of projects through the bureaucracies of the ACT and Federal governments. A number of those initiatives were announced last night as part of the funding approvals in the budget.
Madam Speaker, if we have a look at what we are able to do over the next two-year period, we are looking at a total capital injection in the building and construction industry in both the public sector and the private sector of $1 billion. Of that, $600m is quite clearly identified in projects which, contrary to the accusation of the departed Leader of the Opposition, are at the design and siting stage. Planning approval has already been given by organisations such as the National Capital Planning Authority, and it is well under way in the ACT Planning Authority.
With a great deal of satisfaction, Madam Speaker, we are able to say that this ACT Follett Labor Government has brought the ACT out of the recession, which we were entering into, at a far greater rate than has been able to be achieved by any other State or Territory government in Australia. That is something which the Opposition has been embarrassed about. That, I suggest to you, is one of the prime reasons why they are not prepared to be in this Assembly this afternoon to allow this matter to be debated as it should be. It is a real matter of public importance that we are able to demonstrate quite clearly that it has been the Follett Labor Government's initiatives, coupled with the underpinning of the announcements in last evening's budget, plus considerations which will be given in the budget to be announced next month, that will bring, and are bringing, the ACT employment prospects out of the bottom of the curve far more quickly than anywhere else in Australia.
Madam Speaker, there is a raft of other matters that we can go to, as I have said; but, when you talk about what is positive, you must also test that by what is negative. On one side you have the positive, the old Newton's law, something that the Opposition do not like being reminded of. On this side of the house there is a clear and positive approach to economic development, to employment, and to increased opportunity for business in the ACT. On the other side, on the negative side, we have an Opposition who are too scared, I suggest, to stay in this chamber and be embarrassed, as they would be, because of what would happen under the Hewson "frightpack".
Let us look at it. Madam Speaker, this is not conjecture; it is contained in their own documentation. There would be a loss of up to 10,000 jobs in the public sector in the ACT, with resulting decimation of the private sector. There would be increased workloads and imposts on business as a result of the paperwork, just the sheer paperwork, required for the GST. There would be no compassion for
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