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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 14 Hansard (10 December) . . Page.. 4604 ..

Ms Follett: Jobs growth. I think those were the words I used.

MRS CARNELL: I accept Ms Follett's comments there. What we are talking about is jobs growth. If we are to have jobs growth in this city, it will be in the private sector. I think we have all agreed on that - maybe not the Greens, but everybody else has agreed that that is the case. In the strategic plan, we have moved away from a plan that is based upon where we might put the next major town centre, where we might put the next 10,000 people who move to Canberra because some Federal government has decided to move another department back to Canberra - the sorts of things that have been the basis of Canberra's growth in the past. I think we have all accepted that, under the previous Labor Government and certainly under the current coalition Government, the chances of having growth in the public sector in the ACT simply do not exist.

We set out to come up with a plan for Canberra that was not based on 10 per cent growth factors, that was not based upon the largess of the Federal Government. I think since self-government both Federal governments have put the cheque book with the ACT's name on it in the bottom drawer.

Mr Moore: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: I was quite specific in my question to the Chief Minister. I know she has a ministerial statement to make later. That is fine; she can do that then, when we can also criticise it. My question asked whether it is primarily focused on business or not. She is starting to give us an answer that perhaps it is not because they paid some lip-service to ecologically sustainable development. I had a quite specific question, and I am not interested, at this stage, in her statement. I will be interested to hear that when the time comes in the Assembly.

MRS CARNELL: What was the specific question, Mr Speaker?

Mr Berry: Further to the point of order, Mr Speaker: I draw your attention to standing order 118(b). It says:

... the Speaker may direct a Member to terminate an answer if of the opinion that these provisions are being contravened or that the Member has had a sufficient opportunity to answer the question.

MR SPEAKER: Thank you for drawing my attention to standing orders, Mr Berry. There is no point of order on that point.

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, I thought Mr Moore had asked me to answer the question whether we had paid attention only to the Business Council or the small business approach in this document. I thought I was going through - I accept in depth - whom we had asked. I have made it quite clear that we have asked Canberrans, we have asked people from all walks of life in the ACT. What they are all saying now is that they do not believe we can retain the city we all love if we do not get the economic basis correct.

MR MOORE: I have a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. I am pleased, Chief Minister, that you actually asked all those people, but would you not agree that it is a shame you did not listen to them all?

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