Page 1426 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 10 May 2006
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Chief Minister in his speech and, of course, by Mr Berry in his tabling speech, the opposition will support the bill.
MR BERRY (Ginninderra) (10.35), in reply: I thank members for their support. I do not need to labour the Assembly more with the details of this small bill. Again, I thank members for their support.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
Leave granted to dispense with the detail stage.
Bill agreed to.
Government—economic performance
MR MULCAHY (Molonglo) (10.36): I move:
That this Assembly:
(1) notes:
(a) the deterioration in the Territory’s financial position;
(b) the failure of government to control expenditure;
(c) the related increase in taxes and charges;
(d) the failure to allocate expenditure to high priority community needs; and
(e) the lack of provision for the future; and
(2) calls on the Government to:
(a) explain why it allowed its expenditure to run unchecked without providing for a period of slower growth;
(b) reprioritise its expenditure to meet community needs instead of wasting public funds on seeking to satisfy the interests of a select few;
(c) improve its management of service delivery so that costs are brought closer to those in other jurisdictions without compromising the quality of services; and
(d) announce a program for reducing the overall taxation burden in the ACT so that it no longer ranks with NSW as the highest taxing jurisdiction in Australia.
Mr Speaker, the deterioration in the territory’s financial position is a matter of grave concern to everybody in Canberra except, so it seems, the nine members of the government in this Assembly. It stands in stark contrast today with the position of the Australian government’s budget. The tremendous outcomes that were announced last night and the benefits being extended to the people of Canberra and other parts of this country stand in contrast with the situation faced in this territory as a result of the territory government’s handling of its own budget and finances.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .