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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 10 Hansard (27 August) . . Page.. 2898 ..

MR SPEAKER (continuing):

She was referring to the government. She went on to say:

I did not say that they were not being honest.

I felt obliged to review this. I have the Hansard in front of me. Earlier on Mrs Dunne said:

This is the way this government goes. It says it wants to be honest and open and accountable, but there is no accountability in this place and I suspect the people of this territory will soon realise that there is very little honesty.

I think that imputes that there is lots of dishonesty, and I think it is unparliamentary. Mr Speaker in 1996 drew on some comments by the Speaker of the federal House of Representatives in 1981:

I think that if an accusation is made against members of the House which, if made against any one of them, would be unparliamentary and offensive, it is in the interests of the comity of this House that it should not be made against all as it could not be made against one. Otherwise, it may become necessary for every member of the group against whom the words are alleged to stand up and personally withdraw himself or herself from the accusation.

I intend to persist with that standard, and I would ask you to withdraw the imputation.

Mrs Dunne: If that is your ruling, Mr Speaker, I withdraw.

Appropriation Bill 2002-2003

Detail stage

Debate resumed.

Proposed expenditure-part 12-Urban Services, $274,144,000 (net cost of outputs), $88,492,000 (capital injection) and $15,194,000 (payments on behalf of the territory), totalling $377,830,000.

MR QUINLAN (Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Business and Tourism, Minister for Sport, Racing and Gaming and Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Corrections) (9.12): Mr Speaker, I move amendment No 4 circulated in my name [see schedule 1 at page 2913].

MRS DUNNE (9.12): When we come to the budget for the Department of Urban Services, as in many other areas of this budget, we see a government that is bereft of imagination, bereft of energy and in many ways a tad irresponsible. It is in the budget and it is reflective of those opposite us. When we look at the budget for urban services and planning and environment, where is the vision? There is no vision from the people opposite. This lack of vision will see the demise of this territory.

Without growth, this territory is in trouble. Without growth, there will be no jobs. Without growth, we will see poverty. We saw in the Chief Minister's press release of Sunday that there are 30,000 people in the ACT who live in poverty. But what is there in the urban services budget that helps to address poverty, that provides the growth which

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