Page 2112 - Week 07 - Thursday, 16 June 1994
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
dramatic with the budget. He would not say what it was; but I suspect that it was blowing it out by $177m, which they were going to borrow. That is pretty dramatic, and that is what Mrs Carnell has in mind. Madam Speaker, by contrast, this Government has a very good record of financial management. We have handled the transition to State-type funding levels extremely well. We will continue to do so. It is apparent to me that the so-called alternative is no alternative at all.
Members interjected.
MS FOLLETT: Madam Speaker, I do not think that this constant interjection is worthy of this chamber.
MADAM SPEAKER: Order! I have called for order. Order!
MS FOLLETT: Thank you, Madam Speaker. I realise that the Liberals must be embarrassed because the document which they have produced not only contains - - -
Mr Humphries: We are embarrassed by your performance.
Mr De Domenico: We are embarrassed by VITAB and all that.
Mr Berry: I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. I have heard you call for order half-a-dozen times and you have not got it. I would like you to try to impress upon the people opposite the need to be a little quiet so that some of us can hear what is going on, even if they are not interested.
Mr Moore: I take a point of order, Madam Speaker. I find it distressing that Mr Berry is dissatisfied with the way you are controlling the house. I am certainly perfectly satisfied.
MADAM SPEAKER: Order!
MS FOLLETT: Madam Speaker, to conclude, this Government does have a very good record of financial management, and I know that that must be hurtful for the Liberals. It is most certainly a better record than theirs. Our record on the provision of services to the community is infinitely better than theirs because of our social justice agenda which they simply do not share. Speaker after speaker on the Liberal side just stood up here and told us what we should be doing for the private sector. We should give money to them. We should be supporting them. We should not be listening to these interest groups - that is, the people in the community who have real needs. We should just hand it all over to the private sector, including a large chunk of the public sector activities that we currently undertake on behalf of the Territory. This is absolutely hollow rhetoric. Madam Speaker, I do not think it will fool the Canberra community. I believe that if they look at the record of Labor - Labor treasuries, Labor budgets, Labor in government - in this Territory, they will be satisfied indeed.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .