Page 3223 - Week 10 - Thursday, 16 September 1993
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The major difficulty I have with the Government's budget is the aim for an anticipated surplus of $12.8m in the recurrent budget at the end of the 1993-94 financial year when major expenditure reductions are planned to occur in the health and education portfolios. I stated publicly on Tuesday, at the time the budget was tabled, that I believed that this was an unintelligent response to the ACT's financial position, and one which is difficult to understand in the context of a $12.8m recurrent budget surplus.
Specifically, I believe that the planned expenditure reductions in the health portfolio will create further disquiet in a system that has been shaken by massive reorganisation over the past three years. To quote the Chief Minister:
With the progressive completion of the hospital redevelopment project there is potential for further efficiency returns within the new facilities.
She is not talking of the final completion of the project; that is still some $47m away, with $31m to be spent this financial year. How can efficiencies be easily identified in a hospital system in transition? What about the inefficiencies caused by stress and disruption, and constant change? Is it not time for consolidation and concentration on developing the hospital's strengths, rather than looking, at the moment, at pursuing more funding reductions in the name of efficiencies?
I am also concerned at the use of the generic term "health service" which will be targeted to provide the current target of $3m in savings. I expressed some disquiet last year when community health services were incorporated into the general health budget. Prior to last year, hospitals and preventative and community health services were considered to be separate items. I look forward to examining the more detailed subprogram information for the estimates process, to effectively judge whether separate funding for each area can be clearly identified.
Education is the other major portfolio area where I believe that arbitrary levels have been set for achieving savings. I am extremely disappointed that, given the Government's general supportive comments about the need to fund and support high schools in particular through the high school development program, it has seen fit, according to the Australian Teachers Union, ACT branch, to reduce staffing positions in high schools in the ACT by some 30 positions. That equates to 30 staffing positions across 16 government high schools which are responsible for meeting the needs of some 11,000 young people.
The Government has emphasised thus far that most of the cuts to school based positions will occur in secondary colleges. Again the Australian Teachers Union ACT branch anticipates that 30 positions will be lost from the Government's nine secondary colleges. The union also anticipates that some 15 school based positions could be lost from the primary school sector. These measures have been proposed by a Government which has, for the first time, produced a separate youth budget which specifically highlights relevant budgetary initiatives which relate to young people. It is incongruous to me that we are contemplating the loss of 90 positions from the education system, positions which could be assumed to directly support young people and children during the years of their schooling.
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