Page 3926 - Week 15 - Tuesday, 15 December 1992
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MR CORNWELL: It used to be a fellow called Mr Bannon, Mr Kaine. We have the same problems over in Western Australia with Ms Lawrence, the Premier there.
Ms Follett: Dr Lawrence.
MR CORNWELL: Dr Lawrence. Thank you very much, Chief Minister. She obviously is not a doctor of economics, judging by what is happening over there. We wish to see some further control than we have seen to date.
I am interested that the Minister for Housing commented that something was listed at page 167 of the budget papers. I found, as I mentioned earlier, a reference to this whole question of off-budget funding on page 70. I thank the Minister for his reference to page 167 as well. My staff went through it to some considerable extent. Therefore, I find it rather strange that the Minister, in his tabling statement, should make a comment that this Government announced - I stress the word "announced" - in the 1992-93 budget that the Commissioner for Housing loans program, the HomeBuyer program, will be extended through the use of an off-budget funding mechanism. It is a pretty strange mechanism that can be referred to on only two pages of a considerable amount of budget papers - one the Budget Overview, at page 70, and the other one the Program Information and Estimates, at page 167. This is a major development - that you can tell me that the Government announced in its budget - - -
Mr Connolly: We put out lots of press releases, too.
MR CORNWELL: Goodness gracious; we are going to have to read all these budget documents very carefully, my friends, because it will be coming up again and again. But, really, the point I am making, Madam Speaker - - -
Mr Lamont: And attend estimates committees, too.
MR CORNWELL: Do not challenge me about attending estimates committees, Mr Lamont. I was there much more than you were, my friend. Madam Speaker, Mr Lamont's attendance at the Estimates Committee, I would suggest, was about as regular as that of the phantom in Phantom of the Opera.
Mr Connolly: The highlight of the show, Mr Lamont.
MR CORNWELL: He may, indeed, have been the highlight of the show; nevertheless, his attendance was not as regular as my own. I support my leader, Mr Kaine, in this. There is nothing wrong with this amendment; there is nothing threatening in this amendment. This Government, indeed, this Minister and this Treasurer, after all, have no reason to imagine, Madam Speaker, that they are not competent, surely. What I am suggesting, very simply, is that there is nothing wrong with this amendment. It simply ensures that this Government has the opportunity to uphold the principles that it espouses; that it believes that it is not going to make the mistakes that have befallen its colleagues in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. We are saying that this amendment should be inserted in the Housing Assistance (Amendment) Bill (No. 2) simply because we wish to hold them to what they believe will not happen. Therefore, we wish to make their Treasurer, the Chief Minister of this Territory, accountable.
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