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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 4 Hansard (30 March) . . Page.. 1127 ..

MR MOORE: The answer is yes, Mr Kaine. You are not right about that. Mr Quinlan's mathematical ability does not appear to be up to his job as Treasury spokesman. It has already been pointed out that in his media statements and in the copy of his statement that he put into the report of his standing committee he has inadvertently counted the Government's $4.2m indexation funds as negative when they are positive. As I said yesterday, he just hit the minus button instead of hitting the plus button.

In trying to explain this away last night, it got worse. In another mistake, Mr Quinlan has now mixed himself up over two different columns in the budget papers. He has mixed up the two new injections I mentioned a moment ago, which are components of government payment for outputs and therefore a revenue item, with the total for the expenses list for the portfolio. Let me say it again. He has confused part of the revenue column with the total of the expenses column. It is really quite amazing. Not only did he hit the minus button instead of the plus button - - -

Mr Quinlan: They are two indicators that you are not spending any more money.

MR MOORE: I am telling you that you are wrong. If you will just listen, I will explain to you how you are making the mistake. Otherwise you will keep making mistakes as you have been. Not only did he hit the minus button instead of the plus button, but he was typing in numbers from the wrong place. A moment later he continued to argue that, while the problems of growing service needs and inflation were there, the Government's very responsible response to them presented in the budget papers was not there at all. He just refuses to give the Government the credit it deserves for addressing these two needs with new money. He talks fast about the pressures facing us and hopes no-one will notice if he ignores our responses to those pressures.

Mr Speaker, it does not assist the Assembly to have a shadow Treasury spokesman in this Assembly make comments that reflect simple ignorance of an operating statement and make comments which give only half the story.

Mr Corbell: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I think the Minister is expressing an opinion rather than answering the question.

MR SPEAKER: Thank you, Mr Corbell. I have been watching that. I might add that the Minister has two minutes left for his answer.

MR MOORE: Mr Speaker, I have been interrupted so much that I must have a full eight minutes left. To assist in lifting the Labor spokesman's performance, I have drawn up a few mottos for him to follow, and here they are. Motto 1: I will not confuse revenue issues with expenditure issues.

Mr Corbell: I take a point of order, Mr Speaker. This is quite outside the standing orders and the direction you made in the last sitting period. He is not providing factual information or answering the question. He is expressing an opinion, Mr Speaker, and that is quite outside the standing orders.

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