Page 449 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 13 March 2007
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MR SPEAKER: Chief Minister, resume your seat. Order! Could everybody maintain their composure for a little while? I call the Chief Minister.
MR STANHOPE: It is interesting and I think it is important in the context of what we have done to split up the provision. Most importantly, the people of Canberra got rid of this mob and elected a government that was committed to the ageing in this community, was committed to strategic planning, was prepared to put in the hard yards in relation to developing a strategy for ageing in the community; was prepared to put the hard work into developing a strategy around the development, planning and future of the city, and was prepared to ensure that older people within this community were a priority and deserved the support of government that this government shows them.
One must ask questions, particularly in a vacuum where the Liberal Party refuses after 5½ years in opposition to delineate or explain a single policy on anything. They have not been able to articulate a single policy on anything. They had a secret policy forum here in the Assembly last week. They locked the doors so that the media would not be able to see that they were running 10 people there and they had absolutely nothing to say. They had absolutely no contribution to make. They had no ideas except to say, “Let us campaign on reducing the level of revenue by $100 million a year. People will like that. They will like the fact that we are going to abolish parking throughout Canberra. They will like the fact that we are not going to collect the fire levy.”
MR SPEAKER: Order! Come back to the subject matter of the question.
MR STANHOPE: This is relevant to what needs to be done to speed up the delivery of aged care because it does go to priorities and capacity. We have a government here that has promised not to collect up to $100 million of revenue if they come to government. They must ask, “What will happen in relation to that refusal to collect?”
MR SPEAKER: Order! Chief Minister, come back to the subject matter of the question.
MR STANHOPE: Thank you, Mr Speaker, I will. But it is relevant to the subject matter of why, only on the election of this government, a government with a commitment to aged care, this process was developed to the stage where, in the last three years, we have either delivered, have under construction, or have approved 900 aged care beds and a similar number of independent living units against a record of 14 beds in a longer period of time.
Mrs Dunne: How long did it take to get approval for Calvary?
MR STANHOPE: The member asks, “How long did it take?” How long did it take you to deliver 14 beds? Do not point the finger at us and say, “How long did it take to deliver 900?” How long did it take to deliver 14 beds? It took 6½ years. (Time expired.)
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