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

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 4 Hansard (2 April) . . Page.. 1251 ..

MR STANHOPE: I will conclude, Mr Speaker but I think it has to be said that there is nobody who thinks seriously about these issues, who is being honest with themselves, who does not know that the Wilson Tuckey approach to an inquiry into the bushfires is all about furthering Wilson Tuckey's fetish about forest management and national parks-Wilson Tuckey's fetish about bagging and attacking any Labor government he can get into his sights.

I think you should reflect on the fact that his great disciple in all of this was Peter Webb, until Peter Webb lost his seat. One has to ask: What did he run on? What did he campaign on? Why is it that the National Party member for Monaro lost his seat to a member of the Labor Party? It is because he ran his campaign on these crass, cheap political attacks on bushfire management in national parks?

Mrs Dunne: On a point of order, Mr Speaker, this is a question of relevance and 118(a). It is inappropriate to be going on and having a post-mortem about the New South Wales state election result in the seat of Monaro, when I am asking a question about Wilson Tuckey's proposal for an inquiry in the federal parliament.

MR SPEAKER: When you asked the question, Mrs Dunne, I think I heard you raise the question of whose interests this would be in. It is a politically loaded question which invites a political response. You are going to have to wear it.

Budget 2003-04

MS MacDONALD: Mr Speaker, my question, through you, is to the Treasurer. Treasurer, can you inform the Assembly of the particular pressures facing the government in its work in forming the forthcoming budget?

MR QUINLAN: Thank you, Ms MacDonald. If I may, I would express to this house my gratitude to the Leader of the Opposition who, in recent times, has been identifying in the public forum the external pressures on this government in putting its budget together.

I must say I think it is only fair that I should get an own goal from a bloke who the wags at the CFMEU got to wear a large lapel badge yesterday. Guess what day yesterday was? It was April Fools Day, Mr Speaker!

Mr Pratt: Yes, but it was after noon.

MR QUINLAN: Yes. After noon, you wear, "Kick me"on your back, but he was wearing it at the front.

Mrs Dunne: You have a real problem with the membership of the CFMEU.

MR QUINLAN: I thought it was hilarious that the Leader of the Opposition was wearing a CFMEU badge this big, all day on April Fools Day, when he is from the other side of the house. Well done. Well done the CFMEU!

Regarding the genuine pressures the budget faces, there are the findings of the Grants Commission. The Grants Commission initially reduced our allocation by an expected $14.8 million. We were able to work through the figures, find some errors, and reduce

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