Page 394 - Week 01 - Thursday, 11 December 2008
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It is quite interesting that the notes we initially got back state that the federal government had given in-kind support, but it did not dictate or say whether or not we would be getting any cash support. So my office was again forced to send an email back to the Treasurer’s office asking, “On the Beijing Olympic relay cost question, what contribution of actual funds had been made by the federal government as their share of the cost of staging the relay?” Eventually we got a phone call back saying, “None.”
We are now in a situation where, as we unravel the detail—and this is why scrutiny is so important; this is why an estimates process is so important—we find we have been asked to give money without knowing the full story, and that is unacceptable. We do not know whether there will be a contribution from the commonwealth government. I assume the Treasurer can tell us if they are still pursuing the money, but it is a long time since the relay occurred.
And then, of course, there is the provision of $100,000 to the RSPCA. Apart from the emergency funding provided in this bill, there is probably no more worthy recipient of funding in this bill than the RSPCA. But the provision of these funds to the RSPCA certainly emphasises the Stanhope-Gallagher government’s neglect of the RSPCA. Many of us will recall that the RSPCA site was devastated on 18 January 2003.
At 6.00 pm, in accordance with standing order 34, the debate was interrupted. The motion for the adjournment of the Assembly having been put and negatived, the debate was resumed.
Sitting suspended from 6 to 7.30 pm.
MR SMYTH: Mr Speaker, I will go back to what I was talking about before the dinner break, on the issue of the RSPCA. There is provision in this bill for $100,000 to the RSPCA. Apart from the emergency funding provided by this bill for the community sector, there is probably no more worthy recipient of funding than the RSPCA. But the provision of these funds to the RSPCA simply emphasises the neglect with which the Stanhope-Gallagher government has treated this organisation. Many of us will recall that the RSPCA site was devastated by the 18 January 2003 bushfire disaster. Some of us know that the RSPCA approached the then Stanhope-Quinlan government for assistance to rebuild their site. We also know that the Stanhope-Quinlan government provided nothing—absolutely nothing—to the RSPCA to assist in rebuilding after the bushfire disaster. I quote from their letter:
Dear Mr Smyth
Thank you for your recent inquiry regarding possible disaster funding received as a result of January 2003 firestorm. Unfortunately, I can confirm that no government funding has been received, made available or allocated to the RSPCA ACT Inc. as a result of the damage sustained during or losses resulting from the 2003 disaster.
That was in March 2005. This was, quite simply, a disgraceful lack of action on the part of the government—no compassion, no assistance and no recognition of the cost of recovery imposed on the RSPCA. For the information of members, that letter was
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