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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 4 Hansard (7 May) . . Page.. 1056 ..

Commonwealth Funding Cuts

MS TUCKER: My question is to Mrs Carnell as the Chief Minister. Mrs Carnell, in Budget Paper No. 3, Commonwealth grants estimates are outlined for 1997-98, and table 5.2.7 highlights that a number of very important areas are likely to receive substantial cuts from the Commonwealth. For example, money from the Commonwealth to the Aboriginal health strategy is budgeted to fall from $426,000 to $291,000, the ATSIC crisis accommodation program has been cut, the national mental health strategy funding has been reduced, and I understand that the national drug strategy, which is not mentioned in that table, is also likely to be cut. You have made public statements about proposed cuts to disability services; but I would like to know whether, and how, the Government has factored these and other potential Commonwealth cuts into their own budget strategy.

MR SPEAKER: Chief Minister, you cannot answer on behalf of the Federal Government.

MRS CARNELL: I cannot. I totally support Ms Tucker's comments about Federal Government cuts. I do not support them at all. They are indicative at this stage because, as we know, the Federal Government has not brought down its budget. When we put these things into our budget projections, and they are all in, we have no way of knowing what the real figures will be until we get the documentation from the Federal Government, but we do have to give some sort of indication. Our approach has been, and will continue to be, that if the Federal Government cuts funding in a particular area, particularly an SPP area, then that funding cut simply will have to be passed on to the service provider. The reason for that is that those around this room have been fairly negative about our approach with, say, ACTEW. Where does Ms Tucker think we are going to get the money to shore up Commonwealth Government reductions? The fact is that we simply do not have it. If the Commonwealth Government reduces funding in particular areas, then that will be passed on to the consumer.

MS TUCKER: I ask a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. Chief Minister, I think you could easily have accommodated this if you have those estimations already, but you claim that you cannot.

MR SPEAKER: Just ask the supplementary question. You can leave those comments until your response to the budget.

MS TUCKER: You state that, for example, in areas like mental health, there is an overall increase, when you know that there is going to be a reduction - you have estimated here $338,000. Is it correct for you to give the ACT community the impression that you are increasing overall funding for mental health, or that there will be an increase in overall funding for mental health, when it is quite clear that, with this potential cut, there will be less?

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