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

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 6 Hansard (3 September) . . Page.. 1945 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

In terms of how you get the media more interested, that is a real problem for women in sport. I think it has improved slightly, but a lot more work needs to be done. I was pleased to see - in fact, I was delighted to be very much a part of this - that two of the teams who will be receiving significant assistance through the teams in national league funding are the Capitals and the Strikers. The amount of money offered to the Strikers, for example, is exactly the same as to the Lakers. I think that is a great recognition in terms of those two women's teams who do so well in national leagues. I think we have done a considerable amount. We have a very proud record in terms of women in sport in the ACT, but it is something we certainly want to build on. I can assure Mr Stanhope that we will be doing all we can in relation to that. I think I will close on that. I think I have addressed most of the concerns raised by members, and I thank them for their comments.

MR BERRY (6.29): Mr Speaker, there are a few things I want to address. I must respond to what Mr Rugendyke said in relation to his position on the budget and the Liberal Party. I was disappointed with that. I thought that Mr Rugendyke might maintain at least some pretence that he was independent, but I think he has made it pretty clear now that there is no chance that anybody could interpret his position in relation to this Government or this budget as being independent at all. The problem with that is that the Government now knows it can rely on his support and need not take into account his position. In effect he has been emasculated, I would think, and that is a disappointment for this Assembly. It would be of most disappointment to those people who elected him thinking that he was an Independent. He clearly is not and is rusted onto the Liberal Government. In many ways his speech was sycophantic, and I must say that I was extremely disappointed.

I do not expect everybody to like the Labor Party, but I at least expect them to be balanced. Mr Rugendyke has said on so many occasions that he has an open mind on matters, but this evening he made it clear that it is closed on most issues. I need not say anything more than that. My colleagues have spoken to the matter adequately.

I should talk, too, about Mr Moore's disgraceful rationalisation of his about-face on education funding.

Ms Carnell: Oh, Wayne. He did not speak slowly enough.

MR BERRY: You should read your own response to the Estimates Committee report, Chief Minister. You will discover a comment on page 36 which says:

CPI funding was based on GPO levels before the $1.9m contribution to the operating loss was adjusted from the budget -

so it did come out -

and not after as is suggested by this comment. The 1.9m contribution to the operating loss does not affect government schooling ...

Impliedly, it means that it will affect education.

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