Page 1728 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 1 April 2009
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after the budget was passed. The fact is that ministers could not answer questions. The ministers could not answer reasonable questions. So again you go to the tone of the Treasurer’s press release and clearly it is not interested in a good process. The minister’s final line is:
I’m disappointed the Opposition is politicising the Budget process at a time when all efforts should be put in to supporting the ACT community …
The simple answer to that is: just support it, minister.
Ms Gallagher: You don’t agree with my media releases, and—
MR SMYTH: Just support it, just support it
Ms Gallagher: I don’t agree with yours, Brendan.
MR SMYTH: I do not put out misleading press releases. You are the one who had to come back here and apologise. Mr Speaker, the minister was standing there yesterday telling people that I was out there spinning falsehoods in the community, and she was forced to come back in here before question time and apologise for misleading.
Mr Coe: Andrew backs her in interjections.
MR SMYTH: Mr Barr was doing the interjecting. But at least Ms Gallagher had the guts to come and apologise. Mr Barr did not. But the whole point about this is that the tone of this press release follows exactly what we have come to know from this government. It is not unreasonable perhaps, in terms that there is a new Assembly, it is not a majority government, there is a new make-up to the Assembly, that we set some ground rules for how the next four budgets are dealt with. It is not unreasonable for the members of the Assembly to get at least equal treatment to the media, who are clearly briefed from about 10, 10.30, when the budget lockup starts.
Ms Gallagher: Yes, in a lockup.
MR SMYTH: I am not sure what time it starts. It happens federally. It happens—
Ms Gallagher: Do you want to all be in the lockup?
MR SMYTH: Well, I do notice that there is another line in this excellent press release. I am not sure who wrote this press release, but there is another line where we actually get an invite, members:
The government will also extend an invitation to MLAs and/or their nominated staff member to attend the stakeholders briefing on Budget Day.
That is very generous. But normally the stakeholders budget briefing starts at about 2 o’clock and they get out about 3 o’clock.
This just shows again the failure to understand what happens in this place. They are actually arranging briefings for the stakeholders, but we the members—
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