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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 11 Hansard (26 September) . . Page.. 3460 ..

MR DE DOMENICO: Mr Speaker - - -

Mr Berry: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. It has been answered. Mr De Domenico made a point of saying yesterday that he was answering the question. The question has been answered.

MR SPEAKER: There is no point of order. The question that was asked by Mr Kaine was: Is there any substance to the suggestions made by the Opposition yesterday?

MR DE DOMENICO: Mr Kaine was right. Mr Berry yesterday asked me about seven or eight questions, not just one. Some I took on notice, Mr Berry; others I answered.

Mr Berry: How about answering them?

MR DE DOMENICO: I will. You just sit back and take note. You might be interested in this. I thank Mr Kaine for his question. Having been in politics for a number of years now and having sat opposite this mob for the past 18 months in government, I am not often amazed by oppositions. It is not often that I find myself absolutely dumbstruck - I am almost speechless sometimes - but yesterday during question time dumbstruck I was, and I am still dumbstruck today. I am absolutely in awe at the stupidity and perhaps the hypocrisy of anybody in this place who could come into this Assembly and attempt to criticise a budget, for example, that injects over $9m into real and concrete job creation initiatives. I notice that people opposite are laughing. Let us sit back and have a look at that. Mr Speaker, the budget allocates a 40 per cent increase in the value of capital works, creating a further 1,500 jobs. Members opposite claim that they are friends of the workers. This is the Opposition that has complained about unemployment for the last 18 months, calling on the Government to do something. This is what they have been saying.

Mr Kaine, the short answer to your question is no. Mr Whitecross is not right. That is not unusual, mind you. In the short time he has been Leader of the Opposition, he has not once been right. We can take that for granted. Mr Kaine, yes, this budget does contain real initiatives aimed at job creation, as the Chief Minister outlined in great detail on Tuesday. Let us just take a minute to look carefully at what some of these people opposite had to say yesterday.

Mr Kaine: You mean the hypocrites?

MR DE DOMENICO: The hypocrites, yes, Mr Kaine. Ignore Mr Whitecross's stupid attempt to attack the Unysis People project. That is just stuff that is not worthy of the Assembly's time. Mr Berry, of course, popped his head up yesterday and suggested that the $700,000 graffiti clean-up program is a sham and that the vast majority of the funds allocated will be used in administrative and other expenses such as training and equipment. As always, it was a statement based on total ignorance. Mr Whitecross is defending the indefensible. Sit back and listen to this, Mr Whitecross. Firstly, the vast majority of the administrative costs of this program will be borne by the Department of Urban Services. Mr Berry, they will not come out of the $700,000. That is point one.

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