Page 4305 - Week 13 - Thursday, 17 November 2005
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but admire the way in which the officers of the department of disability have gone about their discussions and their negotiations. They have gone out of their way on more than one occasion to make sure people get the services that are optimal to their condition, making sure they have a high quality of life. I am absolutely confident of that.
I have before me, on occasion, details of these things. I have no intention at all of going down the path of discussing individual cases, as I have indicated before. But I have to say that Mrs Burke continues, by innuendo, to cast aspersions on the quality of concern and the way in which members of the department of disability meet with these people. They get personally affected by these cases. Mrs Burke does not care one jot about that. She uses other people’s pain for her political gain. She is exposed in this place by the abominable behaviour that she is becoming renowned for. I will not engage with her on this issue, other than to say that I have the utmost confidence in the professionalism, the dedication and the heart and soul of Disability ACT.
Budget—outlook
MR MULCAHY: My question is to the Treasurer. On 3 May this year, you said, “The ACT economy is strong, growth is continuing and the budget will return to surplus over the next three years”. In light of the serious deterioration in the budget outlook revealed in today’s Canberra Times, do you stand by your undertaking that the budget will return to surplus?
MR QUINLAN: I certainly stand by the fact that the ACT economy is strong. There are some weaknesses in the revenue lines to the government, but ask anybody in business, the construction industry, et cetera, how Canberra is going and they will all tell you that it is going very strongly. The economy is strong and it is growing. The budget will return to surplus and the government has a policy of ensuring that we have an overall surplus over the economic cycle.
MR MULCAHY: My supplementary question to the Treasurer is: do you expect to significantly raise taxes, charges, rates and fees from the people of Canberra in an attempt to achieve a budget surplus?
MR QUINLAN: To obviate a number of questions that might flow in this place, I do not intend to predict the budget this many months out on a sitting week by sitting week basis and I do not intend to answer what I think are quite puerile questions—“Will you never ever …”, “Will you commit …”, “Do you fully support …”, all of that childish nonsense. I do not intend to become involved in that.
ACTION—bike racks
MR GENTLEMAN: My question is to the Minister for Planning. Minister, earlier today I had the pleasure of attending a demonstration of the new ACTION bike racks. Could you advise the Assembly about the status of the government’s new bike rack program.
Mr Smyth: Do they all work? How many don’t work?
MR CORBELL: They all work. I am very pleased to advise members that the program was formally started today. I thank Mr Gentleman for his interest in coming along to the
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