Page 896 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 24 February 2009
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Mr Hanson: And will allow the budget to remain in surplus.
MS GALLAGHER: Well, they would on their own. Nobody at that time had information of the catastrophic effect of the global financial crisis on the ACT budget. Our election promises alone would not have driven the budget into deficit; they would not have.
Mr Hanson: On 19 September there was no warning? There was nothing apparent on 19 September? You are using the words.
MS GALLAGHER: Mr Hanson, it is a simple subtraction that you learn at maths, probably kindergarten, maybe year 1: you have this much surplus and you make this many spending commitments and you get left with this. And that is what we did. It left modest surpluses. Even if you take your argument, apply it to yourself, okay? Spending promises of $286 million; that is what you promised. So you all saw this coming—revenue losses of $19 million in the first year growing to $34 million by the fourth year?
Mr Hanson: You are quibbling with the words. The point is that you gave your word that there would be surpluses.
MS GALLAGHER: No, I am not—and savings slashing services to $200 million. So this is what your response at the moment would be: you would have got into office, very excited about being in government—thankfully that did not happen—and you would have gone, “Right, I have to make $35 million worth of savings this financial year, in six months time.” That is what you promised in your election commitments.
Mr Smyth: No, you misrepresent.
MS GALLAGHER: No, I am not misrepresenting you; I am not.
Mr Smyth: No, you do. It is in your document. It’s a fact. Remember this—
MS GALLAGHER: I have got the summary here from Treasury, summary of Liberal election commitments, including all the savings proposed. That is what you would have done: a $35 million hit. Sorry, I was wrong; it was a $32 million hit this financial year, growing to $52 million next year, $57 million the year after and $58 million the year after that. You would have slashed the budget at a time when every economic commentator is saying that that would be the wrong thing to do. That is what you would have done in order to deliver on your election promises, slashing the budget—
Mr Hanson: No, we want to cut waste—cutting waste.
MS GALLAGHER: Right, so providing a nurse at the Alexander Maconochie Centre is waste, is it? That was what you were going to do as part of your savings. That is what you are going to do as part of your savings.
Opposition members interjecting—
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