Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 12 Hansard (11 November) . . Page.. 3951 ..

MRS CARNELL (continuing):

Mr Berry referred to $30m for the ACT fleet lease-back deal. We got $24m in revenue from that deal. Mr Berry does not know the difference between revenue and expenditure. It is tragic. He mentioned $300,000 for the rarely used futsal slab. The Lakeside Arena has attracted events that have brought $3m in economic benefits into the ACT - obviously, a bad investment, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker! He mentioned $15m extra for Bruce Stadium. The figure is wrong. The budget is quite clear - $12.3m has been allocated to the Bruce Stadium upgrade to secure Olympic events for Canberra. Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, even the most conservative approach to the Olympic events is that they will bring some $20m into the ACT economy, plus, obviously, the benefits of the Raiders, the Brumbies and others.

Mr Berry said that $100m had been ripped out of ACTEW to buy light poles - a very unusual statement. No decision has been taken with regard to the streetlight purchase. This will be decided by the next Government. In any case, it is revenue; not expenditure. It is that simple. We still have the streetlights. ACTEW gets paid an amount of money - basically, a rent figure for our renting them back. Of course, the decision, if it were to be made, would need to be backed up by the board of ACTEW.

Mr Berry's list includes $7m saved by not maintaining Housing Trust properties. Housing Trust maintenance spending increased by $5.53m in 1997-98. Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, how can savings be characterised as money squandered? For the life of me, I do not understand. His list includes $5m for handling the 1996 industrial dispute. Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, the cost of capitulating to the union wage claim - which, obviously, Mr Berry thought we should do - was $27m per year. That is what it would have cost if we had said, "Fine; anything you say; let us just sign here" - $27m - not once, but every single year, or $225 for the average household every year.

Mr Corbell: You could have gone to conciliation. You did not want to go to conciliation, did you? Instead, you promoted conflict. That is why it cost us so much money.

MRS CARNELL: That is what Mr Berry - and, obviously, Mr Corbell - thinks was an appropriate approach. Mr Berry lists $500,000 for the Feel the Power campaign. Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, the ALP has been lobbying for an increase - - -

Mr Kaine: Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, on a point of order: Could you ask the monkey over there to keep quiet while the Chief Minister is speaking.

MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! That is inappropriate language, Mr Kaine. I point out that the interjections from that side are much less than they were - - -

Mr Kaine: Would you ask the member opposite, who does not seem to have any manners, to keep quiet while the Chief Minister is speaking.

MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: Let me point out, Mr Kaine, that the interjections from my left are much less than the interjections from my right were when Mr Berry was speaking. Nevertheless, I take your point.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .