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

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 08 Hansard (Tuesday, 3 August 2004) . . Page.. 3359 ..

If the opposition were fair dinkum it would tell us what it did before we came to government—either that or deny the advice that I am given that there is a long gestation period in this process; deny that there will always be about 200 beds in the pipeline, even with the best will in the world of every party involved.

Quite frankly, as usual, you are misrepresenting the situation. I understand that Calvary and the Little Company of Mary have come to an understanding with the Chief Minister. After making a number of announcements they have decided that they will get on with their part of that process.

Mr Smyth: So they’ve been dragging the chain?

MR QUINLAN: They have contributed to the delay; yes. Let us go to the wider question of aged care. A reference was made to self-funded retirees. We talked about quality of life, and compassion and fairness.

Mr Deputy Speaker, when I hear you talk of self-funded retirees, I immediately get a picture of the middle class. I feel you are talking—

Mrs Dunne: Usual stereotypical Ted.

MR QUINLAN: Yes, I know. I am trying to avoid that. There are two ways you can look at the world. Mr Deputy Speaker, you talked about people who have spent their lives being thrifty and providing for themselves. You spoke of thrift and hard work and quoted David Kibbey, who, I understand, is doing quite well on a military pension. Is that right? Did a lifetime of thrift and hard work provide that pension?

Mr Stefaniak: He’s a self-funded retiree.

Mrs Cross: What’s that got to do with it?

Mrs Dunne: What’s that got to do with it?

MR QUINLAN: I just make the point that in this town there are hundreds and hundreds of self-funded retirees who are living on the taxpayer, not their savings. They are living on the CSS—the Commonwealth superannuation scheme. Unless you are a judge or a politician, this is probably the best superannuation scheme in the world. They did not come from a life of hard work, thrift and doing without; they got a pension.

Mr Stefaniak: We are talking about self-funded ones.

Mr Smyth: Public servants didn’t work hard?

Mrs Cross: You have got no idea about the real world.

MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Mr Quinlan has the floor.

MR QUINLAN: There are two ways you can look at the world—the world of those who have ceased to work. You can look at those—

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