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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 4 Hansard (11 April) . . Page.. 1018 ..

MR QUINLAN (continuing):

doesn't allow you to go back to zero base. But you can go back to zero base more with a capital works budget. We certainly have. There are a number of mandatory things to be done.

I do have to say that I share the concern that you have that is inherent in the question: there will be fluctuating work levels available to the building industry or kindred industry contractors out there. That is, in fact, part of the problem that I was referring to in the answer to the original question.

Having distorted the process by overspend or by spending beyond a sustainable capacity and by creating the peak, you have just implied the trough. I have to say that I have been talking about this particular phenomenon since the budget was brought down last May-talking about the scorched earth policy that seemed to be inherent in the budget that was brought down; blow all the cash so that the opposition, us at the time, was not able to make many commitments before an election. That is a very cunning tactic. By gee, the fall-out-

Mr Humphries: It was about job creation, wasn't it?

MR QUINLAN: If it is not sustainable, Mr Humphries, it is not good management simply-

Mr Humphries: It was while there was a problem.

MR QUINLAN: Since I have been asked for my opinions by Mr Stefaniak, I will give you one opinion, Mr Humphries. It was not good economic management. If you overspend at a given period, spend beyond your capacity, then the time will come when you have to spend much less. You have to compensatingly drop the level of expenditure. Yes, there will be deleterious consequences. They are the consequences not born of the poor sap that has to bring down that tight budget but born of the irresponsibility of the originals.

Dragway

MRS DUNNE: My question is directed to the Minister for Planning. Minister, when you sat on the opposition benches you said on many occasions that if you were the Planning Minister you would simply issue a lease for the Canberra dragway. The dragway has been a live political issue for about four years and there is growing support for granting a lease, evidenced by 8,000 signatures on a petition tabled in this place yesterday and the eye-catching sticker I hold in my hand. Mr Speaker, I seek leave to table the sticker.

Leave granted.

MRS DUNNE: I present the following paper:

Minister, when are you going to give the Canberra dragway a lease?

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