Page 1431 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 10 May 2006

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There are so many other areas that he needs to look at, Mr Speaker. In the time remaining, I cannot expand further, but there is the issue of public housing and the management of that, the issue of health and, clearly, the matter of education, an area of enormous interest presently to the people of Canberra.

MR STANHOPE (Ginninderra—Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Business and Economic Development, Minister for Indigenous Affairs, and Minister for the Arts) (10.51): I am very pleased to engage in this debate today. It is an important debate and I am more than happy to respond to debunk the false interpretation and, essentially, the ill-conceived notions contained within the motion. I have, as one would expect when faced with a motion which does not reflect reality at all, circulated a proposed amendment. I move:

Omit all words after “That this Assembly”, substitute:

“(1) notes:

(a) the fact that the Government has delivered four straight budget surpluses;

(b) the continued confidence shown in the ACT’s balance sheet by ratings agencies;

(d) the significant investment made by the Government in critical areas neglected by previous governments, such as:

(i) disability services;

(ii) emergency services;

(iii) child protection;

(iv) mental health; and

(v) salary relativity; and

(2) notes the establishment by the Government of the Strategic and Functional Review of the ACT Public Sector and Services to address emerging issues and safeguard the Territory’s future.”.

Before going to some specific parts of the motion, I will make some general comments or observations on the ACT’s economy. The ACT’s economy is strong, despite the continued efforts of the opposition to talk it down. The unemployment rate is the lowest of every jurisdiction in Australia, at 3.2 per cent. Our participation rate is the highest of every jurisdiction in Australia, at 72.2 per cent. The territory has one of the strongest balance sheets in Australia.

The government is committed, quite obviously and patently, to sound budget management and has delivered surpluses on an Australian accounting standards basis, the basis utilised in the ACT since self-government, over each of its four years of government, even after making significant investments in critical areas neglected by previous governments, most notably the Liberal government, such as disability services and emergency services. We need to focus on that. We have delivered surplus budgets in each of the last four completed financial years. We are now in our fifth year and we

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