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

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 7 Hansard (29 June) . . Page.. 2214 ..

MR SPEAKER: Members, I will have to take that as an in-principle speech on the Appropriation Bill. But I would now remind you that we are looking at the appropriation for the Chief Minister's Department.

MR BERRY (11.14): Yesterday I heard the Chief Minister's shrill comments and pleadings for support for her budget. The Chief Minister demonstrated a clear lack of understanding of what this was all about. This is a debate about the future of governance in the ACT and the standing of government in the ACT. It is a test for the crossbenchers and the opposition in this place to impose upon the government each year there is a budget.

It is not just good enough to look at the bottom line when looking at a budget. You have to look at the performance of the government. We saw the rhetoric spun around the language of the budget this year and in particular the reference to building social capital. One of the first things that struck me about accrual accounting when talking to the advisers we were able to prevail upon for advice in the lead-up to the introduction of the government's agenda on this score was that the comments of those advisers were very clear that there was no measure for social outcomes in accrual accounting; it was just about money. That has been one of the major failings of this government. It has never really been about people. It has always been about the bottom line.

This time around we have seen the policies of the Chief Minister inflicted upon the community. There is a claim that we are much better off as a result of it. Ask the 2,800 public servants who lost their jobs. Ask the people who have been waiting in this government's hospital system for treatment what they think of building social capital and what they think of accrual accounting. I reckon they would give them the thumbs down, particularly with the way this government handles them.

This government does not deserve to be in office. It does not deserve to have its budget passed. The building of social capital is not something that you try on in the approach to an election just to try to rebuild your failing stocks amongst your constituents. It will not work. They will not believe you, and neither should they.

Some of the other disasters we have had to cope with through the management of this Chief Minister and the Chief Minister's Department are legend and monuments to the incompetence of the government that will be there for a long time. I referred yesterday to the Bruce Stadium. More will be said about that as we go through this debate, but what a monument to incompetence that structure has turned out to be for this government. It will be there for aeons to remind us of the incompetence of this government and how they mismanaged the territory's Treasury.

The Kate and Gary show have delivered us many of these monuments. They delivered us the futsal slab. We need to be reminded of some of the events that led to that. There was a government subsidy to Futsal Australia, or whatever their title is. Some of the government subsidy was returned to pay for a trip to Brazil which the Chief Minister went on. They paid for it. One suspects the subsidy money was used. Shortly thereafter we saw $200,000 or $300,000 being spent on the slab, the outdoor field for an indoor game. This was proven in the first carnival that was held there. One of the finals games was washed out, as I recall.

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