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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 12 Hansard (19 November) . . Page.. 3776 ..

MR WOOD (continuing):

The current budget confirms what many said about one aspect of last year's budget. Remember the keynote of that budget a year ago - the three-year budget. This was the main selling feature of that budget. The Estimates Committee last year was sceptical about those claims. The Estimates Committee last year saw little to differentiate the three-year budget from forward estimates. A year later, the Chief Minister has admitted the fraudulence of her earlier claims. The Estimates Committee this year says that the current budget has returned to forward estimates. Where is the three-year budget? We never had it.

What about this year's budget? Again, we have to separate the rhetoric from the facts. For example, what is in the budget? There is nothing in the current budget about a futsal stadium costing $250,000, was it? That was dismissed as petty cash, not really a large enough item to have to be included in the budget.

Mr Moore: But do not worry; we will win the Olympic bid!

MR WOOD: Mr Moore, have we won the Olympic bid?

Mr Moore: I am sure that we will, shortly.

MR WOOD: We had better get down to New South Wales and convince SOCOG and others, because my reading of the information tells me that futsal is not in, and is not going to be in. Let us look at the facts of the budget. For Bruce Stadium there is now a proposal to spend $27m. I do not see it referred to in the budget. Forget the $250,000.

Mrs Carnell: Mr Speaker, on a point of order: I think there needs to be a tiny bit of relevance. I do not expect a lot of relevance, but - - -

MR SPEAKER: I uphold the point of order.

MR WOOD: It is not irrelevant. It is simply embarrassing. That is the definition. These are the facts that are not in the budget.

Mrs Carnell: And they are not in the report that you are debating.

MR WOOD: They are very much part of all that has occurred, Mrs Carnell. The $27m for Bruce Stadium will probably never have to be spent, but there is a speculative amount there that is not included in the papers. This is symptomatic of so much that happens when the budget disguises the facts of the situation.

Another matter in respect of jobs that is worthy of consideration is the problem faced for the ACT by the outsourcing of government business by the Howard Government. It has been clear since Mr Howard - - -

MR SPEAKER: Order! The member's time has expired.

MR WOOD: I seek an extension, Mr Speaker.

Mrs Carnell: Can it be a relevant extension?

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