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

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 7 Hansard (2 July) . . Page.. 2119 ..

MR HIRD (continuing):

The trouble is ... Mr Speaker .... that this political grandstanding was at the cost of the Canberra community ... not just in the extra costs involved in extending the duration of the Assembly sitting ... but in stifling Assembly business to the detriment of the people of this Territory.

It only served to demonstrate to the community the lack of concern that this Labor Opposition ... and its supporters on the cross-benches ... have for the people of this Territory .... particularly .... Mr Speaker .... the business community and its employees.

To them ... Mr Speaker ... these grandstanding tactics by the Opposition were like being hit in the face with a dead fish!

It also was no coincidence ... Mr Speaker ... that the Committee Chair Mr Corbell was seen to be taking advantage of media mileage on the Estimates Committee Report AGAIN on the

eve of the ALP conference.

It must be a matter of concern to this Assembly ... Mr Speaker ... that this year most members of the Estimates Committee were prepared to ignore information put before them and that they showed no hesitation in misrepresenting the facts if that helped them to criticise the government.

It was another instance of the Opposition resorting to the old saying .... "Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story" .... Mr Speaker.

Equally unjustified, is the fact that they were prepared to falsely accuse some agencies of not taking the committee seriously.

The Parliament should be aware ... Mr Speaker ... that all agencies and those who appear before the Estimates Committee take the process seriously and spend a huge amount of time preparing for the hearings so that they can comply with the needs of the committee.

But this did not stop the committee attacking public servants, Mr Speaker.

There is a ridiculous assertion in this Report that the Government has focused singly on a balanced budget, regardless of the social implications.

This is the sort of thoughtless comment that discredits the estimates process and the MLAs guilty of uttering such nonsense.

Mr Speaker ... It was made clear to the committee that the elimination of the Territory's operating loss was high on the Government's agenda because of the need for improved social and community outcomes.

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