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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 3 Hansard (7 March) . . Page.. 716 ..

MR QUINLAN (continuing):

for four years, so I suppose a couple more years won't hurt. This commission has proved to be a valuable exercise for the territory and I remind members that we felt it was necessary to clear the decks.

I recall Mr Humphries saying, or being quoted in the newspaper as saying, that the new government is paralysed with fear. I have to confess, Mr Humphries, of being somewhat fearful from time to time. But, on balance, I am quite enjoying being here. I am quite delighted to be on this side of the house, and delighted to be trying to clean up stuff like this. But, as I tip over the rocks, I do tremble a little-not paralysed, but certainly a tremor at times.

While I am on my feet, let me hit on just a few: the Totalcare quarry; the protracted and moral-sapping nurses dispute; the TransACT capital funding question; Disability Services; and the CTEC losses of two years ago that I have had to provide for in subsidiary appropriation bills. So, yes, I do tremble. Other examples include: the unfunded commitments for a medical school; the problem of corporate bookmakers that I mentioned in question time, where the previous government met with the industry three years ago and committed to sort the problem out; and the parlous state of the remand centre. I knocked that list up in five minutes.

So, yes, I am a little atremble over what we have inherited. But at least through this document we have been able to get an assessment of the position from a commission that was chaired by an independent expert. I counsel you again to read section 7.3.1 and to deduct what the position is. I could not direct the commission what to do and how to present, because they are independent. I do regret that they did not add a table in there-

Mr Smyth: Which bit did you direct then?

MR QUINLAN: Sorry?

Mr Smyth: You said you didn't direct them 100 per cent, so which bit did you direct?

MR QUINLAN: I could not direct them at all. They were not directed at all.

Mr Smyth: That's not what you said.

MR QUINLAN: Whatever. The point I am making is that I was not in a position to direct the commission. But I do regret that they did not extend the paragraph immediately before table 7.2 into table 7.2. If the Assembly is at all interested-other than making shallow observations-table 7.3 shows the projected net worth of the territory over time. Members will see that the amount is almost static. In fact, it is increasing by less than 1 per cent per annum overall. Because of CPI movements, in real terms our net worth under the current set-up is designed to decline. So, as I said, this territory still has a bit of a way to go.

I commend this report to commentators, who may later wish to give their assessments of the ACT finances. As I complained during question time, there is a paucity in this town of in-depth analysis. Once upon a time the Canberra Times used to at least engage on a part-time basis writers like Ian Davis and Peter Urban who researched their work and wrote some quite in-depth assessments. Now all we seem to get in our press is the

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