Page 1699 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 21 August 2007
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economic base? Through the government’s money-grabbing taxes it pays for the government’s waste, philosophical whims and wrong priorities. What Chief Minister would accuse the business community of having no credibility when it cannot manage its own finances, when its revenue forecasts are so wrong year after year, when it cries poor and then it is surprised by operating surpluses? That is amazing!
Operating surpluses for 2006-07 were about $200 million more than was forecast some 12 months ago. The government regularly gets its operating surpluses wrong, which is also amazing. That is akin to federal treasurer Peter Costello stating, “I have an extra $12 billion. I did not anticipate that. How about that?” on top of the $10 billion surplus he correctly forecast. The federal treasurer just would not do that and I suspect that governments of any persuasion would not do that.
There is no credibility in a government that does not recognise that the community has given it its operating surpluses—a government that will not then give those surpluses back to the community. This government should know all about whinging and grabbing; it is an expert in both. Last year the government bleated and whinged about Canberra living beyond its means; so it closed schools, shopfronts and libraries and it cut services to the community.
The people of Canberra were rewarded with a statue and a road that blew out the budget fourfold or fivefold and that still is only a single lane. God forbid if a truck broke down on one of those bridges. We have a rock on a post next to the bridge, which is nice, we have a half-baked arboretum and we have a prison that clearly will not deliver budgeted value for the dollar. During the estimates committee process a lot of questions were asked about that. We are now getting an arch or something similar over Northbourne Avenue. This whingeing and grabbing government put up taxes.
Mrs Dunne: It is a $1 million arch. It will be a golden arch.
Mr Mulcahy: It is $1 million arch; it will not be a cheap one.
MR STEFANIAK: It will not be a cheap arch, Richard, it will be a very expensive one. Instead of CPI we found ourselves funding the government’s excesses through the wage price index. We even found ourselves funding the government indirectly through increased utility prices due to its utilities tax. We even have a $10 tax on road traffic fines, which at least is going to victims. People have to do something wrong to start with, which is some consolation.
Is it any wonder that the people of Canberra are so frustrated? Even the estimates committee found that the government lacked credibility. What happened earlier today was most unfortunate. I would have liked government members to vote in favour of Mr Pratt’s motion. The estimates committee report contains some recommendations on which the whole commitee agreed. It told the government to do certain things and to get its act together. On the first day of sittings the Treasurer attended only after pressure was brought to bear upon him. The committee recommended that in future the Treasurer, whoever that might be, should ensure that he or she attends on the first day of sittings.
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