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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 1 Hansard (18 February) . . Page.. 354 ..

MR KAINE (continuing):

You are the Treasurer. You have now brought down four Budgets, none of which has directly addressed underlying problems, including that of superannuation liability. Now, confronted with a budgetary situation which is to a significant degree a direct result of your nibbling at the margins of problems for years, you seek to evade your responsibilities as Treasurer by placing the onus on others, even crossbenchers.

It is interesting that the Chief Minister is not here. I continued:

I would like you to explain how the debate that you propose can serve any purpose other than to be a public display of your newfound willingness - - -

I seek an extension of time, Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER: As the time allowed for the debate has expired, you will have to suspend standing orders to do so, Mr Kaine.

Motion (by Mr Berry) agreed to, with the concurrence of an absolute majority:

That so much of the standing and temporary orders be suspended as would prevent Mr Kaine from concluding his speech.

MR KAINE: Thank you, Mr Speaker, and thank you, members, other than the members of the Government. I will continue reading:

I would like you to explain how the debate that you propose can serve any purpose other than to be a public display of your newfound willingness, and desire, to "consult". You propose an all-inclusive debate of some very esoteric and complex issues, to most of which no one other than yourself will have had anything but a cursory exposure, and you propose that we each have 15 minutes in which to deal with them! Such a proposal is an absurdity. Any one of the issues that you list for debate would require hours of debate - not minutes.

And this debate is supposed to "assist the Executive to prepare a Budget which will meet the approval of the people of Canberra ..." and to "ensure that the people of Canberra continue to enjoy a healthy, safe, diverse, inclusive and contributing community with a high quality of life, supported by a Government which provides quality services now and into the future". After four years you have failed to deliver such outcomes, and yet you expect each of the Members of the Assembly to do so in 15 minutes of debate. Your expectation, even if sincere, could not be satisfied.

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