Page 1974 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 6 May 2009
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MR SPEAKER: Mr Seselja, a supplementary question?
MR SESELJA: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Treasurer, when will these public servants start to lose their jobs?
MS GALLAGHER: I think I have answered that in the previous answer. We are seeking savings. We are particularly interested in non-labour-related savings from government. Agency heads have 12 months to talk with the cabinet about how these are going to happen. I think that is a sensible and reasonable approach from the government as we seek savings from our agencies. I think it is a completely reasonable position to put to them. It is a one per cent saving for large agencies.
We have time to work out the best way to do it. In fact, written into the budget papers is the fact that we will be seeking submissions from our own employees—not just agency heads; from our employees and through them their representatives—to tell us areas in which they think savings can be made. So it will not be just coming from one side. I think the community will also provide input into those discussions and we look forward to the conversation with the community—a conversation with the community that the Liberals do not want us to have.
Planning—Canberra international airport
MS HUNTER: My question is to the Minister for Business and Economic Development. Minister, my question relates to the expansion plans outlined in the draft preliminary master plan for Canberra international airport and the proposal for a 24-hour freight hub. Minister, have you or your department been engaged in any conversations with freight companies DHL or Toll or any other companies either about their general intentions to participate in or establish the 24-hour freight hub or specifically about incentives that the ACT government might consider offering any of these companies to set up operations in the ACT?
MR STANHOPE: I thank Ms Hunter for the question. I have not been involved in any such discussions and I am not aware of any proposal that the government offer incentives to any companies such as those that you have described to provide those sorts of services that might flow from the development or creation of a major transport hub at the Canberra international airport.
I will take some advice from the department on whether or not any of my officials have been involved in any discussions with companies or organisations of the sort that you have described. I cannot recall that I have. It may be that I have had discussions with relevant companies but I do not recall any discussions on that subject or that matter. So I make that clarification. But I will check with officials in order to be able to fully answer the question you ask.
It may be of interest to members to know that the government has just this week agreed to a submission to the commonwealth in relation to the further iteration of the Canberra international airport’s proposed master plan. We have made submissions to that process. Cabinet agreed to those today. In that submission, we have broadly
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