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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 5 Hansard (3 May) . . Page.. 1479 ..

Mr Hargreaves: No, there was a problem with your approach.

MR HUMPHRIES: The record is there, Mr Speaker. Mr Hargreaves can go and read it. Whatever was said, I think we need to know what is going to happen with this budget. We do not have the capacity to muck around with this budget as we did last year. The ACT, we are told, Mr Speaker, is facing the possibility of economic waves buffeting it. Some are already suggesting that the national economy could go into recession. I think the ACT can withstand that, but we will not contribute one iota to the stability of the ACT community, and in particular we will not contribute to the soundness of business investment in this territory, if the budget is being thrown into doubt by the tactics used by the Legislative Assembly, Mr Speaker.

Mr Berry: What are the tactics, Gary?

MR HUMPHRIES: The tactics are the tactics you have always used, Mr Berry.

Mr Berry: That we will not commit to it until after-

MR SPEAKER: Order! I will not have a debate across the chamber. You have spoken already.

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, the uncertainty is the uncertainty created by a traditional position of opposing budgets and forcing governments to go to others to pass their budgets. The Liberal Party has never done that in this place. It has always supported the Labor government's budgets.

Mr Wood: Well, that's news to me.

MR HUMPHRIES: It is true. You check Hansard.

Mr Hargreaves: Why are you talking to me? Talk to the Speaker.

MR HUMPHRIES: Well, you said it.

Mr Hargreaves: Excuse me. I take a point of order, Mr Speaker. The Chief Minister is accusing me of saying something I did not say. I was referring him to you. I said nothing to you, so you can withdraw that, thank you.

MR HUMPHRIES: That's wonderful to know, Mr Hargreaves.

Mr Speaker, the Labor Party has opposed every budget that the Liberal government has brought down. The Liberal government has supported every budget that a Labor government has brought down. That is the record. Go and check it. That is the record. I seek some indication. I want to know what they are going to do, Mr Speaker, because I am not going to leave the budget to face a crisis in the last days before this is debated in June of this year. Mr Speaker, it is up to the Labor Party to decide what they want to do with that.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

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