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

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 10 Hansard (Wednesday, 25 August 2004) . . Page.. 4182 ..

So I think this legislation, which the government highlights and trumpets as a great achievement, will ultimately be a very significant failure. The government did not heed the warnings of even their own colleagues interstate in relation to this piece of legislation. It is a case of “watch this space” but already there are some very concerning signs.

The Chief Minister rattled on about the failings of the previous government and talked about money that was ill spent on various campaigns. Just recently—and we are still waiting for an answer—I asked him a question in relation to a $1 million blow-out in the move of JACS from one part of town to another. I am sure that there are a number of consequences relating to where the money is going to come from to pay for this move. That in itself is another failing and I am still waiting for a response to my question which he took on notice.

So there have been a significant number of failings just in the area of the general law which have caused considerable angst in our community. I regard these as a failing of the government, especially when it is pushing agendas that the vast majority of Canberra citizens do not want to see. That is not really what you have been elected to do, despite what you might say in terms of what was in your platform. For example, 120 people going to six public meetings on the bill of rights, despite valiant attempts by a committee to engender interest, hardly gives you a mandate to pursue your own personal hobby horses.

Mr Wood is leaving us and I concede that he has done a reasonable job in the arts and is well regarded. But even there, there have been some failings. What has amazed me is how icon groups like the Canberra City Band and the eisteddfod could be de-funded, how we still have some problems in relation to triennial funding and how other groups that do a very good job have received less funding. For example, a dance group told me that their funding was cut from $160,000 to $58,000. So even there, there have been some failings. You scratch your head and ask, “Well how can this be, how can that happen?”

Mr Quinlan rattled on about a couple of areas of sport and recreation. I have heard that under the previous government there were about $400,000 worth of programs, of which $150,000 was funded by the Commonwealth and the rest was funded locally. I hear that now only the federal programs are being funded.

Mr Quinlan mentioned an ageing program designed to get more elderly people active. That program was very much started by the previous government and a lot of work was done by agencies such as the YMCA to develop it further. We gave money to the agencies to do this work and I am glad to see it continuing. But it is really hardly an initiative started by the current government.

The Treasurer made much of the amount of money going to the Capitals and other teams in national competitions being increased from $50,000 to $100,000. I suggest to him that that was something that was happening anyway, given that we lost the Cannons, we lost I think the Comets, and the money needed to be redistributed. So, again, I hardly think that is a particularly great achievement.

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