Page 4197 - Week 13 - Thursday, 25 November 1993
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MR MOORE (5.04): Madam Speaker, I think that Ms Szuty has very carefully set out the position. It is very simple for the Government. If they are having trouble in understanding what everybody else understands perfectly well - - -
Ms Follett: We know what you want, but that is not what you have said.
MR MOORE: All you have to do, to be quite comfortable and relaxed about staying within the will of the Assembly and within the law, is simply not cut those 80 teacher positions. It is very simple. It is not difficult at all. You know exactly the intent of that amendment if it is passed. The amendment will last as part of the Appropriation Bill for 12 months. What it does is set the parameters on how you can operate in terms of your budget. It sets parameters or, as Ms Szuty said, puts a caveat, and I think that is an entirely appropriate thing to do. It seems to me, Madam Speaker, that we have provided for this Government opportunity after opportunity to negotiate on this issue. We have raised the issue again and again.
Mr Wood: In the last week, since you came back from overseas.
MR MOORE: Mr Wood interjects, "Last week, since you came back from overseas". Before Ms Follett went overseas, Mr Wood, you may recall that Ms Szuty sat in the Chief Minister's office with you and the Chief Minister and some advisers and put our position very clearly. That was a very short time after this budget was introduced. For you to misrepresent things in that way is entirely inappropriate. Indeed, you have misrepresented things in the last week. If I may digress a little, Mr Wood, in his speech, mentioned something about my talking about allowances for overseas. He would remember that there was something to that effect printed in the Canberra Times that was inaccurate.
Mr Wood: I can understand that, Mr Moore. It happens a lot.
MR MOORE: I accept that Mr Wood withdrew it at the time, and I do not have any problem with it. I just explain that that is what happened.
Mr Wood: This sort of misprint happens too often.
MR MOORE: It was not an issue that I felt was worth chasing. Madam Speaker, I heard interjections about reneging and that sort of thing. Ms Szuty has dealt with them well. However, I think it might be appropriate for the Government to look to itself. I explained this morning in a debate on government schooling when we were dealing with the Appropriation Bill - we went through it line by line - that if anybody has reneged it is this Labor Government. They went to the polls telling people that they would set public education as their highest priority.
Mr Wood: No, we did not. Will you now be accurate?
MR MOORE: I quoted from your youth policy. You will find in Hansard that I quoted from your youth policy. The reality is that we had the Chief Minister saying this morning, "We are not going to quarantine anything. We are going to do the same everywhere". That is a very different thing from setting priorities. If anybody has reneged it is the Labor Party. It would seem to me that that in itself would have been enough reason for us to take appropriate action. Instead, we searched for a way to allow you to have your budget and still allow us to stick with our commitments. In the end this method was suggested by members of the Liberal Party. It seems to me to be a particularly sensible method.
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