Page 1125 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 29 May 2007
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throughout Australia and may impact not just on industries directly reliant on water but extend throughout entire communities—for example, from less electricity capacity.
We cannot avoid the fact that the Howard budget also failed to fund a range of services which we had identified, and which I think the community has identified, as important. These represent real missed opportunities for the Australian government to improve the quality of life around the nation, let alone, here within the territory. In particular, I have already identified as a priority the restoration of the commonwealth dental program. I think we would all remember that on entering office the coalition simply wiped away $100 million from dental health in this country. While the states and territories have attempted to compensate the community for this loss, public dental waiting lists nationally have blown out shamefully.
I think almost any thinking Australian would consider this cut to be the most spiteful of decisions taken by the federal government. The budget announcement that Medicare funding will provide $378 million over four years for patients whose dental health is impacting on chronic medical conditions hardly compares with the value of the program with funding of $100 million in 1996 dollars. We appreciate the funds devoted to providing regional training for dental students and the creation of a regional dental school, and it would be good if that came to Canberra.
Another opportunity missed by the commonwealth lies in early childhood education. While all levels of existing educational sectors received increased funds from the budget, the vital role of early literacy and numeracy training before reaching school age has been ignored. This point has been picked up and emphasised by our federal colleagues.
Turning specifically to matters affecting the territory, I am pleased that the Griffin legacy continues to be developed, and there is agreement between the ACT and commonwealth governments on this. Quite a substantial amount of commonwealth money—approximately $72 million—has been set aside for developing roadworks in accordance with the legacy’s plan. It concentrates on a small piece of Canberra; namely, Constitution Avenue and Parkes Way. We look forward in the future to continuing to cooperate with the commonwealth on the completion of other aspects of the legacy, particularly in West Basin and on City Hill.
Even since the announcements of the commonwealth budget, a range of industry groups have called for developments that are provided in planning for the Griffin legacy. In particular, the Australian Hotels Association has expressed its disappointment that the budget contained no provisions for a new national convention centre provisionally to be sited in West Basin. The announcement that the Australian government at least would assist in creating such a wonderful facility would have been welcomed by the territory and no doubt by the industries that would seek to utilise it. I am hopeful and I will continue to work with business within the ACT to seek support from the commonwealth for a convention centre as part of the celebrations of our centenary in 2013.
There are a whole range of initiatives that will certainly boost workforce participation, and anything that can make incremental improvements here in Canberra, where our participation rates are already by far the highest in the country, has to be good news.
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