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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 7 Hansard (24 June) . . Page.. 2011 ..

MR OSBORNE (continuing):

I guess it is tempting for people to think that, because the payments we have to make do not peak for 30 years, the issue is not relevant to us now. Mr Speaker, I disagree. As I said earlier, the unfunded superannuation liability is, in my opinion, the biggest problem facing this Territory at the moment. Fortunately, I suppose, not many of us will be around in the Assembly in 30 years' time, so we will not have to face the problem. If we do not make an issue of it, if we do not talk about it and if we are not brave enough to address it, what on earth is going to happen? What liability are we going to leave our children and our grandchildren? You over there ought to be ashamed of yourselves for not at least acknowledging that. I know you are embarrassed.

Mr Berry: We put the money in, Paul.

MR OSBORNE: You say you put the money in, Mr Berry. You put the money in, but you did not put enough in.

Mr Berry: And we negotiated the new deal.

MR OSBORNE: Mr Berry, can you come with me to my bank manager the next time I go and see him? I want you to say to him, "It is okay. Paul owes you that much money, but we are going to put only a little bit in. We are not going to pay all of it". How ridiculous, Mr Speaker!

This paper regarding superannuation was very helpful because it does highlight the legacy that we potentially will leave our children. Mr Speaker, as far as I am concerned, that is not good enough. I will argue and I will kick and I will scream until we have a government brave enough to address the situation and to look at ways of reducing this liability of $645m. It was zero in 1989. It is now 1997, eight years later, and we have a liability of $645m. It is absolutely disgraceful.

Proposed expenditure agreed to.

Part 8 - Department of Health and Community Care

Proposed expenditure - Department of Health and Community Care, $301,894,500 (comprising net cost of outputs, $288,107,500; capital injection, $10,342,000; and payments on behalf of Territory, $3,445,000)

MR BERRY (5.43): Mr Speaker, the first casualty of the Carnell Government was the promise to cut health costs. We all remember the three-year budget, which was going to lead the Australian Capital Territory to paradise. Of course, we now know that that did not happen. We heard about the 8 : 1 result that we were going to get from the Booz Allen and Hamilton report. That has not happened either. The Auditor-General revealed that the promised $3m worth of savings on visiting medical officer fees had turned into a $3m increase, and by February 1996 - less than six months after the first budget - the Assembly was asked to give the Health Minister another $14m. (Quorum formed) Mr Speaker, I understand why Mr Moore would not want to hear about the failures of this Government, which he has supported with undying faith from the word go.

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