Page 3216 - Week 10 - Thursday, 16 September 1993
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What are they going to do in the future? What is small business going to do in the future in the ACT? That is the only thing that is going to save us, prior to the time when we get some sense and get back to a council. They said, "It makes honest people give up". That is a sad condemnation of someone who is supposed to be helping the prosperity of the community, as the ACT Labor Government is. We need jobs. The suggestion that you can create them by dreaming up job creation schemes is largely nonsense and has been proved to be so. It is fairly obvious that "unemployment isn't working". Get out of businesses' way and let them create employment, which then creates production and which then - you may not have perceived it yet - creates more taxes. You do not have to steal it, to plunder it from the population, and give it to people who do not work. You can take it in taxes from people who do work.
When it comes down to self-government, we do not have self-government in the ACT. The ACT does not and cannot ever have absolute power over the national capital. That is something for which all Australians are responsible. It was unreasonable that the bulk of the brunt of paying for the national capital was forced onto people who happen to work and to live here. It is not on. What have we seen since self-government, or should I say State-like government, was rammed down our throats? The Royal Canberra Hospital was closed, and now we have problems with beds. Schools have closed, property taxes have gone up, petrol has gone up, water rates have gone up, licences and rego have gone up. Fines, fees and rates have gone up. Mrs Carnell mentioned a whole litany of increased taxes. It almost sounds like a GST.
Mr Berry: Your wages went up. That was a waste.
MR STEVENSON: As Mr Berry says, my wages went up. As he knows full well, I use a lot of it to let the people know what you are up to. I think it is obvious that the views of Canberrans have varied very little from 1978 when we had one of the referendums on whether or not people wanted to be forced down this road. They still have the same views.
Let us have a look at the Assembly itself. There is another $4m to the Assembly for the coming year and we have, so far, a $12.7m refurbishment. It is not a new parliament house; it is a refurbishment of the South Building. What would that bring on the commercial market? We have 6,000 square metres. At about $370 a square metre per year, you are looking at $2.2m a year that the Government could make from leasing that building.
Mr Berry: To whom?
MR STEVENSON: To whom? I agree; it is a damn good question. In any sane situation you could say "to small business". In this one you could quite often meet a hollow ring.
Earlier on Mrs Carnell started her speech with a question on behalf of Canberrans about self-government and about what it is costing - more and more and more. I well remember, as she mentioned, that before self-government was stuffed down people's throats we were told by the party leaders that there would be no tax increases. We are usually told that at most elections, but I think by now people have started to realise that you cannot necessarily take any notice of the things that have been said.
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