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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 8 Hansard (26 June) . . Page.. 2291 ..

MS MacDONALD (continuing):

concerns and financing initiatives that are long overdue. Extra beds, more and improved services and new programs from the Stanhope government are in stark contrast to the callous attacks in the federal Liberal budget on these same people.

On radio this morning, Mr Humphries defined the difference between the major parties as being the fact that Liberal governments in Canberra kept the hard-working public servants in the dark about pay negotiations. I say this is indicative of the underhanded way the Liberals operate, rather than any actual difference between Labor and Liberal governments. The difference between us and them, Mr Speaker, is in how we look after our most vulnerable and our most needy.

The Quinlan budget has started addressing the inequities for our disabled and the inequities that our disabled and seniors face. We have made public transport cheaper and provided better health care. That is the difference between a Labor government and a Liberal one, Mr Speaker. That is why the Liberals are back in opposition with a record swing to us. (Extension of time granted.) Security is always important to the people of Canberra and I know that the Brindabella community wants a better deal from the government in this regard.

Mr Speaker, the Stanhope Labor government has just delivered 20 extra police to patrol our suburbs and make Canberra a more secure place to live. The commitment of $5 million for the new Woden Police Station is great news for the Brindabella community, especially the people of South Woden, and indeed to the whole of Canberra. The Liberals claim they were gunna do something about police numbers, but it has taken just six months for Labor to take some action. It has provided in Woden the desperately needed police station.

I referred a few moments ago to Labor keeping the public service in the loop on pay negotiations. Mr Humphries thinks it is admirable to keep our hard-working and loyal public servants in the dark-to treat them with contempt and treat them as fools. Mr Speaker, the public servants were sick of this treatment and it is they who delivered the bulk of the swing away from the Humphries government.

The Stanhope government has been open and honest about how the territory will be run. That includes the treatment, pay and entitlements of our public servants. This budget provides more incentive for our underpaid public servants-underpaid by the former Liberal government-and moves towards bringing them up to pay levels across the rest of the country, especially given the competition in this town from federal public service pay rates, which provide competition and draw away public servants on a regular basis.

The public servants who live in my electorate are appreciative of our moves to look after them now, and also in the future. Moves to secure superannuation and ensure that entitlements are funded should be the most basic of tasks for a government. Guess what, Mr Speaker? The Liberals did not do it!

Mr Hargreaves: They were gunna do it!

MS MacDONALD: No. I do not think they were gunna do that one.

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