Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 11 Hansard (26 September) . . Page.. 3485 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

Mr Speaker, this budget is a clear indication of the priorities of this Liberal Government, and we question those priorities. We have noticed, through good times and bad times, through a rising GDP, that we still have a focus on financial management and the financial bottom line, when we know that the disadvantaged in our community are becoming more disadvantaged and that the environment is not being given due emphasis or focus. Therefore, the social and environmental costs of this are going to be huge. Unless we see governments making a fundamental change to this and looking at their priorities, we are going to have a social and environmental deficit that is going to be of very great concern.

MR OSBORNE (4.10): I would, firstly, like to congratulate Mrs Carnell on some pretty documents she presented here in this house on Tuesday. I have to say that she nearly fooled me for a little while but not quite. I see Mr Humphries throw his head back in disbelief. We are not all as gullible as you are, Gary, I am afraid. Mr Speaker, I have to say, initially, that I was a little bit disappointed to hear both Mrs Carnell and Mr De Domenico throw over to Mr Whitecross, saying, "Where is your budget? What is your alternative?". In fact, we have had only a day and a half to look at what you have been preparing for, I suppose, six months. This is your budget that we are debating here today, Mr Humphries. I can see Mr Berry saying, "Give them some more. Give them some more". Let us just remember what we are talking about here today.

Mr Berry: She is not here.

MR OSBORNE: She is not here? Maybe I should just tender this statement of mine and try to be here when it comes time to vote. Oh, she is back. It always seems to work.

Mr Speaker, I have to say that I am deeply troubled by a couple of aspects of this budget. As I said before, I will need some convincing that the way of putting "the ACT finances back on track" is to flog off, for want of a better term, publicly-owned assets to fund a $100m operational cash deficit. The Chief Minister says that her job is to make the hard decisions that have been avoided since self-government, but I cannot see where any hard decisions are contained in this budget. I will, however, afford the Chief Minister the courtesy of making a thorough study. This is only my second budget, and it certainly is as clear as mud, as the first one was last year. As I have said numerous times over the last couple of days, it is very hard getting through the propaganda that you are fed on the Tuesday and getting down to the truth. One interesting point was the big announcement about the sale of ACTION buses and how much it was going to make for the Territory, but it took my staff about 30 minutes to get out of the OFM people where the figure about how much it was going to cost to lease them back was. As I said, I do not intend to stand up here and whinge and bleat about a budget that I have not had the opportunity to go through thoroughly.

Mr Moore: We do not mind. Do it.

MR OSBORNE: Fortunately, I operate a little bit differently to both you and the Labor Party, Mr Moore. Mr Speaker, I would like to focus for a moment on the Government's cash management. I appreciate that we have all been strongly encouraged to think in accrual accounting terms only. I am pleased that we have made that change,

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .