Page 2070 - Week 07 - Thursday, 16 June 1994
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would have been $120m. That shows the underlying deficit - not $64m, but $120m; almost double. That underscores the decay in economic management. With sound management, the unexpected $55m would not have been spent, as Labor governments do, and certainly, Ms Follett does, but, instead, would have been used to retire debt. It will not be there next year. Indeed, the Government expects to lose $50m in Commonwealth payments over the next three years. The failure of this budget is that it puts off any attempt to come to grips with the fact that $50m will disappear. What will the Government do? This budget says nothing. It is a Rosemary Follett budget through and through.
Mr Wood: You said, "the Labor Left" before. The same thing.
MRS CARNELL: The same thing. Thank you. The simple unavoidable fact is that the Government is overspending, and much of what it is spending is being wasted.
Mr Connolly: So where are we going to slash, Mrs Carnell?
Mr Humphries: I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. Ms Follett was heard in relative silence on Tuesday during her budget speech. I ask for the same courtesy to the Leader of the Opposition today.
MADAM SPEAKER: Order! I was going to point that out. My memory was that Ms Follett was heard in relative silence.
Ms Follett: I take a point of order, Madam Speaker. That is not the case. As the person who was on her feet at the time, I can assure you that I was not heard in anything like silence. I believe that it is only appropriate for us to extend the same courtesy to Mrs Carnell as she did to me.
MADAM SPEAKER: Thank you, Ms Follett. I will call for order if I believe that the noise level is getting to be unbearable. Continue, Mrs Carnell.
MRS CARNELL: Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. No real attempt has been made to come to grips with this fundamental problem. According to the Grants Commission, ACT expenditure in 1992-93 was $93m above standard. There we are, Mr Connolly. In other words, the ACT spent $93m more than the benchmark for Australia, and, of course, the Federal Government will base our future funding on national benchmarks. If we were sure that we were getting value for money, such overspending just might be acceptable; but the evidence is that too much of the spending disappears in waste rather than going into improved quality of services. For example, the Government will spend an extra $14m on health over the coming year but will not treat one additional hospital patient with this funding. That is absolutely remarkable.
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