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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 7 Hansard (21 June) . . Page.. 2379 ..

Proposed expenditure agreed to.

Proposed expenditure-part 12-Land and Property, $1,216,000 (capital injection), totalling $1,216,000-agreed to.

Proposed expenditure-part 13-ACTION, $4,200,000 (capital injection), totalling $4,200,000.

MR BERRY (6.17): Mr Speaker, I seek leave to move amendments Nos 3 and 4 circulated in my name together.

Leave granted.

MR BERRY: I move amendments Nos 3 and 4 circulated in my name together [see schedule 3 at page ]. There are a few things that need to be corrected because, as we speak in relation to this matter, Mr Smyth has been talking about the unemployment rates in the estimates committee process. What he seems to have forgotten is that the unemployment rates in the ACT have only ever risen against the national average once, and that was when Kate Carnell and John Howard got into the ACT public service. That is the only time they have ever risen above national averages. Not ever, in the history of the collection of information in relation to unemployment figures, have they exceeded the national average.

So, let's not kid ourselves. Mr Smyth goes on to say what a great job they have done over the last six years. Well, ask the Bender family what a great job they have done. Ask the community about what a great job they have done with the Bruce Stadium. Ask the community what they think about the hospital implosion and all the legal costs. Ask the community what they think about the Feel the Power campaign. Ask the community what they think about the futsal slab. The people who go up to see Grease will think it is okay. What about Hall/Kinlyside?

How much better it would be if it were not for all of those horrible, horrible mistakes that have left such a scar on the political landscape of the ACT. So, do not give us this nonsense about how much good you have done. And if you are talking about social capital, keep in mind the 20 forestry workers you unloaded, and the thousands of public servants you unloaded in the period when you forced unemployment up to the national averages.

Do not forget, too, the 34 Totalcare workers who were being targeted for redundancy because of the loss of the housing policy. So, if you are talking about social capital, just keep those things in mind. It is pretty important that you do that, because I do not really think you understand what social capital is about. I think that is exemplified in your plans for the free school bus system and in what you have done to workers in this territory.

Mr Humphries, yesterday, made the admission that much of the success here has been on the basis of the public service cuts. He made that admission in this place. So, in effect, what the Liberals are boasting about is the successes that they have made on the basis of

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