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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 1 Hansard (20 February) . . Page.. 215 ..

MR HIRD (continuing):

It is one thing to ask the Territory's Chief Minister to secure a commitment from the Commonwealth to provide growth funding to the ACT and start taking its responsibility for employment services seriously, but it is an entirely different matter to just assume that this will somehow magically happen and that all other problems will go away. We have to accept that, at the end of the day, if we as a parliament simply ask the Government to go and get more money we are ignoring the realities of the financial situation facing the Commonwealth. I know that the Chief Minister will do the very best she can to get these commitments, but I suspect that it will take more than a recommendation from our committee to force the Commonwealth to come to the party. (Extension of time granted) Successive ACT governments have significantly increased the funds they make available for people with disabilities. For example, in the past two years this Government has matched Commonwealth growth funding under the HACC program to significantly expand the dollars available for respite care and in-home support.

I return for a moment to my earlier comment that we need a non-political approach if we are to make any headway.

Mr Moore: Ha, ha, ha!

MR HIRD: Mr Moore, you might take that on board. If there is one thing that I have learnt from this inquiry, Mr Speaker, it is that all the politicking in the world is not going to help one carer or one person with a disability. This inquiry has looked at the problems. It has, in many cases, come up with ways in which we can move forward, but it would be sad to see the report used simply as a political football.

Finally, I also want to thank the committee secretariat and the many people who gave up their valuable time to give evidence to the committee and to provide submissions. I would also like to thank the chair of the committee, Kerrie Tucker, and my other colleague, Marion Reilly, for their contributions. Mr Speaker, I commend the report to the parliament.

Debate (on motion by Mrs Carnell) adjourned.

MR MOORE (12.42): Mr Speaker, pursuant to standing order 246A, I wish to inform the Assembly that on 7 February 1997 the Standing Committee on Planning and Environment resolved to inquire into and report on the 1997-98 draft capital works program. I ask for leave to move a motion to authorise the printing, circulation and publication of the report of that inquiry.

Leave granted.

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