Page 4251 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 16 November 2005
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Then there is the promised $30 million for public housing, which I suspect will never eventuate. In the government’s own document it says they were going to spend $30 million. There was meant to be $10 million in the 2005-06 budget—that is this financial year—$10 million next year and $10 million the year after.
Mr Hargreaves: No, there wasn’t.
MR SMYTH: There wasn’t? Your promise wasn’t to spend $10 million?
Mr Hargreaves: It was $30 million over three years.
MR SMYTH: But there are only three years left—2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08. If it is $10 million a year over three years, unless it is not going to happen in this term, that would, of course, break the word of the Chief Minister, who said yesterday in this place that the government will keep all its election promises. That promise was $30 million in this term of this government, which is $10 million a year. In the minister’s own words, there will be $10 million a year. There are only three years left. There has to be $10 million this year. Where is the money?
Mr Hargreaves: No. This is the fourth year. We were elected for four years, by the way.
MR SMYTH: There is a second approp coming. Is that the story, Mr Hargreaves? Have you told the Treasurer that there is a second approp coming?
Mr Hargreaves: We were elected for four years.
MR SMYTH: This is the problem: no activity, no action. If we look in the budget, we see that there is only $44 million cash available for capital works. The super school in your electorate—and I know you are very supportive of the super school concept—is going to take up $43 million of that amount. That has already been said. Forty-three million out of $44 million leaves a million dollars. A million dollars does not come up as $10 million this year, $10 million next year and $10 million the year after.
The numbers do not add up, Mr Hargreaves. I am sure you will jump to your feet and give us all the evidence; you will give us substance; you will give us proof; and I look forward to it. The problem is that this government has no money, unless they intend to borrow. Have you been talking to the Treasurer about borrowing, Mr Hargreaves? Is that it? Are we now going to borrow to pay for public housing? I know the Treasurer would advise against borrowing, but perhaps there is a strategy of increased government borrowings. We know there is no capital works money left. We know they are meant to put in $10 million a year for three years. We know there are only three years left in this term, so it is a case of either borrow or break the promise. The Chief Minister said yesterday that he is going to keep all his promises; there will be no broken promises. That is the dilemma.
Members should not support this amendment because there is no evidence; there is no proof that this government has done anything of substance, particularly in the multiunit complexes they control, except move the residents of Currong out, move students in and then leave students hanging as to whether or not they have housing in substandard
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