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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 4 Hansard (18 April) . . Page.. 1072 ..

MRS CARNELL (continuing):

That $206.6m was actually $6.3m above the 1994-95 actual outcome. The higher wage cost was $4.7m. Last time I looked at it, $4.7m was actually less than $6.3m, even if you add on the overrun in education last year. No matter how you look at it, Mr Wood was simply wrong.

We have also allowed, in our forward estimates, for real increases each year for the next two years of this budget, which sees the amount go to $211.9m and then to $218.1m, based on the CPI figures that we factored in last year. If they change, of course the figure changes. Those increases are substantially greater than is the case for any other department or any other program in this budget. They are also in line with the maximum increases that could possibly be allowed for any program. This means that, assuming that taxes and charges cannot go up by more than the CPI on average, which I am sure is what the Canberra community wants, even if we maintained our current level of borrowing, which is a record borrowing, and our current deficit, which is a record deficit, we could not go above that. In every other department we have attempted to address the issue of our borrowings and record deficit, but not in education. Education is getting the full flow-on - - -

Ms McRae: Because you started with the wrong base.

MRS CARNELL: The base we started from, Ms McRae, was your base. I am sorry; it was your base.

Ms McRae: It was the wrong one.

MR SPEAKER: Order! Ms McRae, stop interjecting. If you want to question this, you can do it at question time.

MRS CARNELL: The base that we started from obviously was the 1994-95 appropriation figure.

Ms McRae: I would like to hear you say that of some of those individuals.

MR SPEAKER: Will you be quiet.

Mr Wood: No, absolutely not.

MR SPEAKER: Then I shall remove you.

MRS CARNELL: I think it is important for this Assembly to realise that there is no other way to put more money into education, unless we take more money out of other areas - other areas that are already suffering substantial reductions. I do not know whether this Assembly is in the business of taking money out of Health. Maybe it is.

Mr Moore: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: I think the Chief Minister has really pushed the issue of relevance in this debate. A quick response to Mr Wood, one can understand, but she has really pushed the issue of relevance a long way.

MR SPEAKER: I do not uphold the point of order.

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