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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 8 Hansard (28 August) . . Page.. 2663 ..

MRS CARNELL (continuing):

It would be easy for me right now to go through all of the points that Mr Whitecross made, but I think the most telling point is to say that Mr Whitecross might be talking about jobs lost from the Commonwealth Government. Yes, jobs have been lost and we have opposed that the whole way through. But the thing that is very exciting for Canberra, Mr Speaker, is that the private sector has picked up those jobs and more. I think that is very good for Canberra's future. I do not think it is good to have a city that relies on one major employer. Commonwealth Government downsizing has happened under both parties in the past. I do not think it is a good idea to have a situation where every time the Commonwealth Government decides to cut staff Canberra ends up going into a recession. The Federal Labor Party did it, and the Federal Liberals have done it.

I want to have a situation in Canberra where the Federal Government will always be a major employer but where the private sector is diverse enough and large enough to not allow this city to plunge into recession every time the Federal Government has a policy change. We are starting to achieve that. We have gained 7,300 new jobs since last November. There are more jobs in Canberra now than when we came to office. There are more jobs in Canberra now than when the Federal coalition was elected. I think that says it all. You can go on with the rhetoric, as Mr Whitecross did, and as Mr Berry does; but the bottom line is that there are more jobs now than there were then. That indicates very strongly that the private sector is picking up a lot of the jobs. A lot of businesses that are interested in picking up Federal Government outsourcing are moving to Canberra to ensure that they are here on the spot. I think that is good news.

It will not happen, I have to say, unless we continue to ensure that the policies that are on the ground here in Canberra encourage new and existing businesses to set up and expand. It will not happen if people like Mr Whitecross and Mr Berry decide to never take a risk. CanDeliver actually is a risk. There is no doubt about it. You do not go into these things without taking a risk of losing. If you do not take the risk of losing you certainly do not benefit from winning.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Bill agreed to in principle.

Leave granted to dispense with the detail stage.

Bill agreed to.

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