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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 5 Hansard (14 May) . . Page.. 1400 ..

Ms McRae: Shame!

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, I am interested that Ms McRae says "Shame", because the disability service providers and the people with disabilities think that approach is very appropriate.

Ms McRae: I think it is despicable. You are just walking away from your responsibility. Shame on you!

MRS CARNELL: Again, I am very interested in that comment. The whole approach the ACT Government has taken is that, if we cannot get adequate funding via a new CSDA, it would be substantially more appropriate for the Commonwealth, which does have growth funding, to run this important area.

Ms McRae: Outrageous! Why do they not just take over the whole Territory?

MRS CARNELL: Ms McRae again makes comments that are totally at odds with those of groups that are representing the people with disabilities in our community.

Ms McRae: According to you.

MRS CARNELL: No, according to them.

Debate (on motion by Ms Reilly) adjourned.

MRS CARNELL (Chief Minister and Treasurer): I ask for leave of the Assembly to make a ministerial statement relating to the Federal budget presented on 13 May 1997.

Leave granted.

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, I would like to report to the Assembly on the implications for the ACT of the 1997-98 Commonwealth budget. In a nutshell, this is a tough budget for the ACT; but, thankfully, it does not contain any new nasty surprises and does come with funding or support for some major projects that will be important to Canberra's future. To begin with, the economic and financial forecasts in the Federal budget confirm those contained in the ACT budget. This includes Commonwealth grants to the ACT and forecast reductions in the Australian Public Service. I think this well and truly puts paid to those who criticised the Government for handing down the ACT budget ahead of the Commonwealth's - those opposite, in other words.

From a national perspective, the 1997-98 budget has been structured to show an underlying deficit of $3.9 billion in 1997-98 and a surplus of $1.6 billion in 1998-99. This represents a dramatic turnaround from the black hole inherited by the Howard Government upon coming into office.

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