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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 4 Hansard (29 March) . . Page.. 1075 ..

MR WOOD: Mr Berry, I think you would do very well to look at this. There is some craft here that your spouse would love. I do not think I need to, but I want to say to members: Do not just put this in the bottom drawer somewhere or put it in a shelf; keep it as a ready reference. When there is a purchase to be made, this is the book to use.

MS TUCKER (5.01): I will take the opportunity in the adjournment debate to comment on something that happened yesterday. I was not very happy with a vote of mine and I want it on the record. I am sorry, Mr Berry, but I did support Labor on the motion related to standing orders 202 and 203. You, Mr Speaker, made a ruling. I was not in the chamber at the time. When I came in I did not understand quite what had been debated. I regret that because I think it is important to respect the rulings of the Speaker. I am just saying I was wrong and I acknowledge it.

MR SPEAKER: Thank you, Ms Tucker.

MR QUINLAN (5.02): Mr Speaker, in relation to the debate on the draft budget, I just wanted to respond to some of what was said today in question time, particularly in relation to health. Just to reduce it to the essence - I am sorry I did not bring my books down with me because I came down in response to the bells; I did not know the house was going to adjourn straight away, but I think I can remember the figures well enough - the draft budget shows an increase in government expenditure of about $7m over the anticipated result for the current financial year. Is that right?

Mr Moore: It is $7.092m.

MR QUINLAN: The same page of the budget shows that gross expenditure on health will be about the same, about $396m. That is, I think, on the same page. It also states in the budget that, in order to cater for growth in the need for services, we need to spend an extra $5m. It also states that we need to expend about a further $4.5m - $4.4m or something, $4.3m maybe - to cover inflation. A quick mental sum says we are going backwards already. In real terms we are spending less because you need to spend $5m to cater for real growth. You need to spend $4m for price inflation.

Mr Moore: Add them together.

MR QUINLAN: Nine and a half. You have only increased the budget overall by $7m in gross terms. In gross terms you have gone backwards. That is the whole point of what was said in here. You are spending less, you have got to provide more services at a higher price. You are spending insufficient money to cover both the increase of those services - - -

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