Page 3022 - Week 10 - Thursday, 15 September 1994
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BUDGET CUTS TO ESSENTIAL SERVICES
Discussion of Matter of Public Importance
MADAM SPEAKER: I have received a letter from Mr Berry proposing that a matter of public importance be submitted to the Assembly for discussion, namely:
The need for the Government to guard against savage budget cuts to essential services and to protect the public sector.
MR BERRY (Manager of Government Business) (3.23): Madam Speaker, the achievements of this Labor Government over the transition period of self-government in protecting services to the community are things about which we can all be proud. At a time when there have been unprecedented reductions in Commonwealth general purpose revenue, only Labor has maintained social justice in our budgets while reducing the debt burden on future generations of Canberrans. The Government has always put forward a careful and clear budget strategy. Consistent with its commitment to the community, it has consulted widely in the preparation of the budget. In other words, it has been a consultative government - something to which many governments would aspire. I think that it has achieved a good balance. We have always been careful to maintain a high quality of services, which we have experienced over many years, while achieving savings and reform, with the cooperation of the work force. We have not gone down the path that the conservatives would go down and take on the unions, using the old union-bashing tactics. We have not laid to waste the public sector, as the Liberal-led Alliance Government tried to do and as some Liberal State governments have done. Do you remember the Priorities Review Board, Mr Kaine, where the Liberals made up a shopping list of community assets to be sold off or given away?
There is a danger in the policies proposed by the Liberals, who want to spend more. Mrs Carnell's "spend more" tactics are to spend $9m more here, cut $30m there and tax less. They are just promises. The Liberals, at the national level as well as locally, will promise anything to a TV camera. They adopt non-threatening public statements, while keeping the true agenda behind their backs. Mrs Carnell attempts to be the voice of moderation, but the good old-fashioned conservative lads, sticking to the real agenda, are the true face of the Liberals. Mrs Carnell makes all the popular statements. The boys grizzle and groan behind the scenes - - -
Mr Lamont: And behind her back.
MR BERRY: And behind her back. Then they worry about how to work out ways to get on with their conservative agenda. But these warm and fuzzy public statements have a harsh edge to them. While the Liberals promise to spend more on services, they also promise to tax less. That is all designed to give some warm and fuzzy feel for the Liberal Party. Let us study their public statements and analyse the contradictions. There is a growing list of irresponsible statements and promises which they know they cannot deliver. We hear contradictory promises every few days. Tourism is to be funded by health cuts. What a good one! Mrs Carnell says that we do not spend enough on tourism. She ignores our achievements in tourism and undermines our successes. She sells the ACT short. But what is new? They want us to throw money at a problem which does not even exist. Our tourism industry has been going well.
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