Page 3470 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 25 November 1992
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effect, "Well, how would she know? She wasn't there". Ms Follett is undoubtedly referring to the comments the Estimates Committee has made concerning Mr Berry's conduct. I would like to remind members of comments made by me last week about Mr Berry's conduct. I quote them: "However, at most times Mr Berry was obliging and cooperative in answering questions, as were other Ministers, the Speaker and senior officers".
I also note, as Ms Follett has done, that it is on the committee's record that the Minister for Health was able to provide responses to questions on notice within one-and-a-half days, well within the three working day timeframe set by the committee. The committee's comments on unresponsive answers need to be seen, I believe, in this positive context. However, I maintain that they were appropriately reported for what they described. I believe, Madam Speaker, that the committee would not have been seen to have done its job properly in the eyes of the community should such comments not have been recorded.
It remains for me, Madam Speaker, to thank the Government for its response to the report of the Estimates Committee and to indicate that I will be fulfilling the third of my pledges to the people of Canberra, taken before the election, by supporting the Government's Appropriation Bill 1992-93 without amendment.
MADAM SPEAKER: Before any further members speak may I point out the process. By the time I had decided that Ms Szuty was out of order, I had decided that she had gone too far into her speech to interrupt it and I, in fact, allowed it. May I point out that any response to the Estimates Select Committee paper is coming up as the order of the day after this; at the moment we are looking first at the Schedule in the particular order set out, and the question before us is the amendment to the Appropriation Bill. From here on in, could we stay with the script. You may refer to matters relating to executive business, order of the day, No. 2, but stick to the matter in front of us, which currently is Mr Kaine's amendment to the Appropriation Bill.
MR DE DOMENICO (4.40): Madam Speaker, I am quite happy to stand up and speak to the amendment proposed by Mr Kaine. If fine words and good intentions were what was necessary to develop a sound budget strategy in difficult financial circumstances, the ACT in fact would be in a very good position. There is very little of what the Chief Minister says from time to time that I can disagree with. The difficulty the Liberal Party finds is that nothing is done. If one needs some clear idea about priorities and how they will be accomplished within the limited resources available, the ACT Government's budget strategy is, to say the least, a disappointment. Madam Speaker, the budget did nothing to create real long-term jobs by cutting business costs and encouraging business investment. In fact, the Labor Party has created massive social and economic problems - not just this Labor Party, but Labor parties all over the country.
Mr Moore: I think that is division 30 you are referring to at the moment.
MR DE DOMENICO: Mr Moore will get a chance to speak if he likes. Madam Speaker, Labor has created massive social and economic problems over the past 10 years and the best way for it to fix the problems is to stand aside. As Mr Keating says from time to time, sticking more salt on the swaying carcase - - -
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