Page 3062 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 17 October 2007
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done to any great degree we will see, certainly, a number of improvements in terms of even fewer people in poverty than we have at present. Clearly, whilst no-one has ever quite got that right, I do not think too many of the actions that we have seen by this government have actually assisted in terms of coming to grips with some of the very real problems there.
Nevertheless, probably in terms of where we were 30 or 40 years ago, there is considerably less poverty and fewer people close to the poverty line in Australia than there have been. There have been some significant advances, I think, made in terms of just ordinary people and people who normally would be struggling and who are battlers in terms of the finances they have, in terms of the ability they actually have to cope. For many, many people in our community, life is certainly a lot easier and not nearly the huge struggle that it was for our parents’ generation. That is, indeed, a plus but there is obviously a lot more we can do.
There is a lot more I think we can do here, as a territory. Playing silly games in terms of whether we debate this motion does not help, because there is a fair amount of substantive business this week in the Assembly, some of which I think could have a real effect in terms of addressing some of the issues that lead to poverty in our community.
The opposition supports the motion. I commend the government on bringing it on this week, but we are absolutely appalled at the games they have played, and bringing it on now in the middle of private members business is quite unnecessary. The motion itself is worthy of support and, of course, I hope everyone here supports the aim of Australian Anti-Poverty Week.
DR FOSKEY (Molonglo) (4.14): It is infuriating that Mr Stefaniak used five of his 15 minutes and I have a 15-minute speech that I have to cram into 10. This is a timely motion in Anti-Poverty Week, when community organisations go to enormous lengths to make politicians aware of the people not doing all right in this Howard-Stanhope world of the ACT. While the ACT community is fairly prosperous when compared with the rest of Australia, too many of our residents remain in poverty.
This is also, incidentally, the first week of an official federal election campaign, and the response of all the parties really matters. Words will become policy. In its desperate scrambling to regain government and strengthen its economic credentials, the federal government’s first promise is a round of income tax cuts. How cynical to cut income taxes knowing that it can claw back lost dollars through the GST, on the consumer goods and restaurant meals bought with the bounty. Tax cuts have been disproportionately aimed at high-income earners, including people likely to spend their extra dollars on making an already comfortable lifestyle more salubrious, while those who need more pay in the packet to pay the rent and put food in the table are caught by the inflation caused by more spending and, with their small windfall, may be able to purchase only a few more bananas.
We have not heard from the ALP yet. I hope they show their economic credentials and indicate that they stand for the needs of the little people in our society. If I hear another “Me too”, I will see that, while we are being offered a change in leader, the leader lacks the policies to address poverty in this nation.
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