Page 3621 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 19 October 1993
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MRS CARNELL: How much did it cost, Chief Minister? In the 1991 survey of ratepayers and Housing Trust tenants, it seems that the ACT Government did not like many of the comments it received from the community about services; so much so that it did not make the same mistake this time around by letting Canberrans have too much to say - unless you call ticking a box consultation.
I would like to look briefly at topics surveyed and compare them with the Follett Government's latest effort in community consultation, and consultation where it really counts, and that is the ACT budget. Like that awful game show Family Feud, it seems that, when it comes to consultation, what you want ain't necessarily what you get, especially with this Government. In the area of the housing survey, we found that eight out of every 10 dwellings were probably owner occupied. "Well", thought Ms Follett, "that is good. Now we will put up rates. This is going to be a great revenue raising exercise". So up go rates by 9 per cent, or $55 per year. Is there anything in the budget or in any of the documents Ms Follett has put forward of recent days that actually helps these people? No, just things to cost them more.
In the area of energy use, the report said that electricity was the most popular source of energy. Were there any questions about diesel fuel use? No, there were no questions about diesel fuel use.
Mr De Domenico: But no-one uses diesel fuel, according to the Chief Minister.
MRS CARNELL: Obviously the Chief Minister did not want to know that. What happens in the budget? Up goes the price, off comes the exemption for diesel fuel, specially for home heating, and 3,000 homes in Canberra end up with an extra bill of up to $140 per year. On the subject of water use, the survey said that Canberrans have a high use of water per head of population. So what happens? We squeeze ACTEW for another $5m per year. That obviously has to be a good, sensible way to go.
The questions on ACTION buses were some of the most interesting you could imagine. It was interesting to see how you could interpret survey results in such a remarkable way, how you could suggest by the questions in this document that 60 per cent of households used ACTION buses. That is certainly the truth, but it did not say how often.
Mr Westende: Once a year.
MRS CARNELL: Once a year. How useful can that sort of survey question be, Madam Speaker? It is absolutely useless. What response do we see from the Government to this supposed high use - and I say "supposed" - of ACTION buses? What happens in the mini-budget? Up go ACTION bus fares by nearly 6 per cent. Up goes the cost of vehicle registration by 3 per cent. It is on the subject of health services that I found some of the most interesting figures. I know that this must have hurt Mr Berry greatly, but it was very interesting to see these results. It was interesting particularly to compare Calvary Hospital and Woden Valley Hospital. The survey results suggested that for patients at Woden - - -
Debate interrupted.
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