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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 8 Hansard (28 October) . . Page.. 2355 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

streamline it or put a coloured background behind it to avoid the reality that that is a huge debt which we pass on to our children if we do not take action now. Mr Speaker, let us not focus on what the situation is right now but what the situation is going to be in the very near future, a situation we cannot afford to ignore.

MR WOOD: I have a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. Is the Minister trying to say that other States and Territories do not have a developing and growing problem? For his benefit, let me point out some comparisons. In the Northern Territory, the liability represents 6.1 per cent of State final demand compared with our 6.2 per cent. Queensland, of course, has the best rate. It ranges up to 13.7 per cent for Tasmania; 11 per cent for Western Australia; 13.6 per cent for Victoria; and down to 8.9 per cent - almost 9 per cent - for the Commonwealth. Are these not significant figures, acknowledging, Minister, that we do need to attend to the problem?

MR HUMPHRIES: Yes, they are significant figures, but they are not nearly as significant as the figures that are emerging, Mr Wood. You quote me what the projections are in each of those jurisdictions and you say we should address them. Might I ask you a question: How would you address them?

Mr Wood: Well, you are sacking public servants.

MR HUMPHRIES: Sorry, are you not the Minister in the Government in 1991 that put aside $17m for redundancies from the Public Service? Is that a different Bill Wood? I repeat: There was $17m for redundancies from the Public Service. Do not talk to us about reducing numbers in the Public Service.

Mr Hargreaves: There was a war on then.

MR HUMPHRIES: There was a war on, was there?

Mr Hargreaves: Yes, the First World War - that far ago. Let us go back to history.

MR HUMPHRIES: Right. Thank you for that stunning intervention, Mr Hargreaves. I think he has a few war wounds that he is walking around with - a bit of shell shock. Mr Speaker, the reality is that you can, if you like, go and tell people that our situation is not that serious because the rate stands at only 6.2 per cent at the present time. If you say that to people, you are grossly deceiving them because the reality of our situation is far more serious that that. It disturbs me greatly that members of the Labor Party in this place run around painting the picture that superannuation is not a particularly serious issue facing the Territory at this time. It is a massively serious issue and if it is - - -

Mr Corbell: Nonsense, we never said that at all. That is misrepresentation.

MR HUMPHRIES: If, as you now interject, you see it as a serious issue, I would invite you to start to show us how you are going to face up to it because I have not seen any evidence of that yet.

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