Page 2437 - Week 09 - Thursday, 17 September 1992

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MR LAMONT: Allow me to remind the Assembly of what that ACIL document had to say - and it is interesting, bearing in mind Mr Kaine's comments about the budget:

Up till now the ACT economy has achieved above average growth, due to the influence of federal government expenditure ...

The [frightpack] package implies a considerable winding back of government expenditure and, perhaps more important, employment of Commonwealth public servants ... Within the ACT itself, the Liberal Party needs to recognise that a much reduced role for government is in the national interest.

There we have it again from when Colonel Kaine was told to pull the pin: "Go out there, Colonel, and tell the people of Canberra that it is - - -

Mr Kaine: On a point of order, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker: If he wants to use my rank, it was group captain.

MR LAMONT: "Go out there, Colonel Group Captain Kaine, and tell the people of Canberra that it is in the national interest that they should be made to suffer. End of transmission; eat this correspondence". That was the subject of the message. No matter that this is based on one of the crudest and most politically distasteful attacks on the citizens of Canberra, which is designed to make them a hated minority on which to blame the recession.

Mr Kaine protests that his policy is all his own work; it is all part of his own imagination. Let us look at the type of language that is used throughout all their documentation and all their presentations: Competition, choice, consumer benefits, individual self-reliance, incentive. Let us go back and remind ourselves of the orders from ACIL:

Liberal philosophy, especially as embodied in [frightpack] aims to build on the positive elements ... A succinct statement of this philosophy needs to be distilled and oriented to the ACT situation. Most of the items can be drawn directly from [frightpack] and the key watchwords are:

competition, not privilege - - -

Mr De Domenico: I raise a point of order, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker. I respectfully suggest that, if Mr Lamont is going to quote from any document, he should quote correctly. I am aware that Mr Lamont has difficulty in quoting and putting in various words; but, once again, let us have relevance, please.

MADAM TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: I am sure that it was just a slip-up, Mr Lamont.

MR LAMONT: It was; it was a typographical error on this note, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker.

Ms Follett: Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I take a point of order. Mr De Domenico insists on referring to relevance. May I refer him to standing order 58.


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