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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 2 Hansard (9 March) . . Page.. 462 ..

MR HARGREAVES

The Chief Minister said in her budget speech last year that "caring" meant to "ensure that the services that are provided are not only accessible but also flexible and affordable for all Canberrans". The operative words are "that are provided". This approach is at least consistent with her quote of June 1994, when she said, "It is not government's role to provide services". So, who is really surprised to see the savage downturn not only in the quality but also in the number of services in this town?

Mr Deputy Speaker, according to my definition, "accessible" means that people can actually receive services and "affordable" means that people can pay for services without breaking the bank. So why do we have the savage increases in costs, which are an enormous attack on families in Canberra? Examples are the effect of zonal fares on school travel; the cost to commuters travelling between zones; the increases in vehicle registration fees, which have impacted on those who are, by their circumstances, obliged to run larger family cars; the insurance levy fraud, which is a tax on the responsible in this town - all of these and many more. These increases have not impacted on big business; they have impacted slightly on small business; and they have impacted heavily on low-income families. That is some caring approach!

Mr Deputy Speaker, while I was preparing my speech the other day, a gentleman called my office and told my staff member that the increase in his rent for a Housing dwelling had been $6 a fortnight. He was a pensioner on $203 a fortnight. His comment was that, to politicians, $6 a fortnight would be a drop in the bucket, but to him it meant three loaves of bread, three return bus journeys or three schooners of beer. To him, Mr Deputy Speaker, it was a significant assault on his lifestyle, and I agree with him.

Mr Deputy Speaker, this Treasurer has had four years to get things under control; it is her responsibility to do so. In fact, I quote again from her budget speech last year:

This Government is playing its part in providing the drive and aggressive leadership that are needed.

What happened to the drive? You come here, snivelling and asking for help. Well, I am not going to give it to you. And do you know why? I say this to the empty Chief Minister's chair. It is because you have provided the aggressive leadership you threatened in your budget speech and in statements in the media after you lost not only the ACTEW sale debate but also your credibility into the bargain. In your budget speech last year you said, "We have not promised what we cannot deliver". It is just as well you did not promise to sell ACTEW, because you could not deliver on that one. You could not deliver on the sale of ACTTAB. And these are not the last things you will not be able to deliver on.

From a funny perspective, though, it is interesting that she phrased it in that way - "We have not promised what we cannot deliver". I note that she did not say, "We have only promised what we will deliver". Mr Deputy Speaker, what were some of the things that were not delivered? It was promised that we would have a reliable, efficient, safe, affordable and integrated transport system. Right now, the system is so reliable that people are ringing my office with complaints that buses are leaving stops early because of the length of time it takes to complete the routes. It is so safe that there is

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