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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 13 Hansard (2 December) . . Page.. 4266 ..

MRS CARNELL (continuing):

transition and said that in the 1970s 60 per cent or 65 per cent of Canberrans worked directly for the Federal Government, and another 25 per cent worked indirectly for the Federal Government, which made 90 per cent. The figure now for people who work for the Federal Government is about 30 per cent. Obviously, you have to add the ACT to that. When I was talking about transition I was talking about a city that had moved - - -

Mr Berry: Squirm, squirm, squirm.

MRS CARNELL: I am just telling you what I said in the speech. We were moving away from a situation where 90 per cent of Canberrans worked either directly or indirectly for the Federal Government to a situation now where 30 per cent of people work for the Federal Government. That transition to a new business base and to a new employment approach in the ACT is something that I believe is essential, and my Government will continue to be committed to it.

MR WHITECROSS: I have a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. Chief Minister, am I to take it from your answer that you do not apologise for saying that the recession is the transition we had to have, that you do not apologise for praising John Howard's last budget, and that you do not apologise for spending $50m on redundancies within your own work force? Chief Minister, why do you set different standards for Senator Campbell than you do for yourself?

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, I have answered this question now three times. I did not say that a recession was a transition that we had to have. What I did say was that we did have to have a transition to a more diversified business base, something that we have been doing for years. Mr Speaker, those opposite - - -

Mr Corbell: Thou doth protest too much, methinks.

Mr Humphries: Mr Speaker, on a point of order: The lack of opportunity for the Chief Minister to make her comments in answer to Opposition questions is, I think, extremely rude, apart from being a breach of standing orders.

MR SPEAKER: I uphold the point of order. I also think that the question, "Have you stopped beating your wife?", should not be addressed, Chief Minister.

MRS CARNELL: I assume it is that question; but, Mr Speaker - - -

MR SPEAKER: It certainly was framed that way, madam.

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, in this Assembly you have to wonder at times. What we will not be doing is going on as those opposite do, just whingeing. That is what we are talking about here. We will get on with generating jobs and attracting new businesses to this city. I think this question time already is showing a very clear contrast between those opposite, who just want to whinge, and us, who want to get on with the job, as the Evatt Foundation says, of creating a rash of job and business development programs.

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