Page 2093 - Week 07 - Thursday, 16 June 1994
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Turning specifically to Ms Follett's budget and Mrs Carnell's responses, this infamous road to Damascus is something to behold. I quote from Ms Follett's budget speech, on page 9, where, under the heading "The Environment", she says:
Following successful trials of wheeled garbage bins conducted in three suburbs, the Government will be introducing later this year weekly garbage collections and fortnightly recyclable collections from wheeled bins provided to every home.
She goes on, and the last sentence is a beauty. She says:
It will be better for householders and better for the environment.
That is what Ms Follett said here in this place on Tuesday. This Damascus thing is incredible. I now read from a joint media release, dated 1990, from Rosemary Follett, Bill Wood, Rodney Falconer, Michael Moore, Chris Gosling and Julian Webb. What does that say? It says:
Big bins discourage recycling. All available evidence points to the fact that the introduction of big bins will be disastrous for recycling. It is quite obvious that the convenience of putting all rubbish in big bins results in a substantial reduction in recycling. No Government acting in an environmentally responsible way could contemplate the introduction of big bins. We totally oppose the proposition.
That is what Ms Follett said in 1990, and Mr Moore also is a signatory to that. What did she say here on Tuesday? She said, "Big bins are the best thing since sliced bread. We will now introduce them. Hey, isn't it a good idea?". Who will ever forget that wonderful photograph of Mr Stefaniak and me which put the Labor launch back to page 29 of the Canberra Times? When we said that we would introduce big bins we were ridiculed. No, it is this Government, Madam Speaker, that needs to be ridiculed.
This Government talks a lot about doing all sorts of things but does nothing at all. This Government is now in power and we still have a youth unemployment rate of 35 per cent. It peaked to about 50 per cent. It has hovered around the 35 per cent mark for three years now. The Chief Minister keeps talking about the fact that it is her major concern, but she continues to do nothing about it. Madam Speaker, is it four seconds that I have left?
MADAM SPEAKER: I think that is right, Mr De Domenico.
MR DE DOMENICO: I have four seconds left to say this, Madam Speaker. This budget shows no vision. It shows no strategy. Then again, it is a typical Labor budget. I have not seen one Labor budget yet that has shown any vision or any strategy.
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