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

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 4 Hansard (9 April) . . Page.. 810 ..

MR QUINLAN: Yes, you are. You will know next time, won't you? I guess you are venting a little spleen on that. The reason we put this forward at this time, and did not rely on the Treasurer's Advance, is that we could not be certain, at this point in time, that we wouldn't find more grubs under more rocks.

Mr Humphries sneered at my claim that we were tidying up the previous government's mess. In recent days, I have been reminded of that homily that says, "Be careful what you wish you for-you just might get it." As the Treasurer of the territory, I find myself with a number of problems on my plate. I think they do qualify as mess. Let me list just a few. We have already, addressing the Totalcare quarry established under the previous government, a failure that is going to cost taxpayers millions.

We are addressing losses from the CTEC V8 car race, as Mr Humphries mentioned, going back two years.

We are addressing the problem of the jail. The previous government put forward the suggestion of a project worth $110 million, with no funds in the budget whatsoever. We find ourselves with a remand centre that is in a parlous state. That must be redressed immediately, because I think there is a chance.

We found ourselves still embroiled in the nurses dispute-the unresolved and morale-sapping nurses dispute.

We find ourselves inheriting a void when it comes to industrial relations and wages policies.

We find ourselves with disability services in disarray, as identified in the Gallop report.

We find ourselves committed to a medical school with no funding in the budget, but an MOU has been signed.

We found ourselves with shares in TransACT, which was short of capital.

I find myself in a sports bookmaking imbroglio that should have been addressed three years ago.

Yet Mr Humphries can sneer at the comment that we are tidying up the previous government's mess.

I will tell you why we put through Appropriation Bill (No 3). That was because we were afraid that we might still have to use the Treasurer's Advance to fix more messes-had we arrived at the point where we could confidently say there were no more of these problems yet undiscovered and unidentified.

I call on Mr Humphries, when he gets his right of reply, to deny that any of those issues are problems-problems that you did not bother to address.

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