Page 3078 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 23 August 2005
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The Chief Minister said in his speech that there is $120,000 of operating money for the cultural centre at Yarramundi and, indeed, there is $1.5 million of capital works money that they can access, a great achievement on the part of his government. That is wrong, Mr Deputy Speaker. If the Chief Minister goes back to 1997-98, under the former Liberal government, he will find that that is when this program started. When this program started, $2,025,000 was put there, Chief Minister: I repeat, $2,025,000.
I want to quote from the Chief Minister’s Department’s 2001-02 capital works program June quarter report, which was the last quarterly report put out by the previous Liberal government. There had been at that stage, 30 June 2002, $483,000 spent on the project and there was $1,542,000 to be spent.
Members interjecting—
MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Both sides should quieten down and allow Mr Smyth to get on with his piece of work.
MR SMYTH: Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. There it is: $1,542,000. That was for the June quarter 2002. Let us look at the latest quarterly report, which was tabled in March. Here it is: “ATSI”—Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander—“Cultural Centre”. The program for 1997-98 under the former Liberal government—
Mr Stanhope: You are displaying dreadful ignorance, Mr Smyth.
MR SMYTH: The Chief Minister speaks of dreadful ignorance. If it is dreadfully ignorant, you are tabling reports that are incorrect, Chief Minister.
Mr Stanhope: Go back to pre-1995.
MR SMYTH: I am just reading your report, Chief Minister. It is your report, Chief Minister, and 1997-98 was the year the program started. When we left office, $483,000 had been spent and $1,542,000 was left in the authorisation. Let’s check for 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005. How much was spent? The total expenditure to date is $483,000.
Mr Stanhope: Very shonky research, mate.
MR SMYTH: They are your reports, Chief Minister. How much is left? The authorisation outstanding is $1,542,000.
MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Mr Smyth, address the chair, not the Chief Minister direct. Chief Minister, please be a bit more orderly.
MR SMYTH: Mr Deputy Speaker, I think that the Chief Minister has been blinded by the light on the hill. He has been looking up at that light on the hill too much and he has been blinded. He has spots in front of his eyes; he cannot see it. The Chief Minister spoke about all the things that they were going to do. They were going to consult, they were going to have justice centres, they were going to address disadvantage and they were going to have gestures of reconciliation. There was an absolute commitment, but we all know that there has been no action.
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