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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 7 Hansard (2 July) . . Page.. 2180 ..

MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: I think you have been to the Berry learning school.

MR QUINLAN: Under extreme protest, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, I withdraw the comment. I did write some comments for inclusion in the Estimates Committee report relating to what I thought was a gross misuse of recommendations from the select committee that examined the Territory's superannuation liability, a committee which I chaired and of which you were a member, Mr Hird. As Ms Tucker has interjected, they were toned down.

I would like to place on the record the fact that I am very disappointed that the Government should so misuse the recommendations of that committee as some form of justification for what they have done this particular year in relation to superannuation and what they did during last year. Last year they said they would put aside some $40m-plus in cash. They have not. They promised in last year's budget to put away $200m in cash, over three years, towards this unfunded liability, but they took the opportunistic route. When they received the report from the superannuation committee, which included various options, part and only part of which was capital repatriation from ACTEW, they took that piece of one or two of the options provided but did not implement the options in toto. They then said, "This replaces our promise of $200m over three years".

Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, in fact we are blowing, to a large extent, that capital value extracted from ACTEW because it has been used to compensate for other moneys that should have been put into investments through the Superannuation and Insurance Provision Unit. So we have, in fact, in this case gone backwards. I think it is a matter of provable record that the Carnell Government has the worst record, other than in respect of this $300m, of any in providing for unfunded superannuation. This budget continues that record. In fact, aside from that capital injection, we provided nothing last year and nothing this year. So, in that regard, this budget is most disappointing.

Proposed expenditure agreed to.

Part 8 - Department of Health and Community Care

Proposed expenditure - Health and Community Care, $361,450,000 (comprising net cost of outputs, $318,691,000; capital injection, $32,811,000; and payments on behalf of the Territory, $9,948,000)

MR STANHOPE (Leader of the Opposition) (4.33): Thank you, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker. You took almost a minute to read out all those figures and detail, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker.

MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: Well, I have to give you the correct details and title, Mr Stanhope. Enjoy the niceties, as they say.

MR STANHOPE: Thank you, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker.

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