Page 2362 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 16 June 2009
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
decision based on information provided by the government, you could not do it. Sixteen per cent were available when we were deliberating; 35 per cent were available by the end of the day when they could not be taken into account. That is the Stanhope standard of honesty, openness and accountability.
The Chief Minister looks for conspiracies. He forgot to mention, of course, that the CPSU are part of the conspiracy, because no public servant is complaining, and the CPSU have said that they have not had reports of this burden. The public servants know that as part of the process at this time of the year, both federally and locally, there will be questions on notice. It is taken into account; people know that. We see the Chief Minister over there with his little smirk, his giggle and his laughter. He just reads half a question. He says, “Mr Coe asked what was the cost of the paint.” What he did not read was the next part of the question, which was about how many lanes were painted and what area was covered by this paint. If you are trying to work out whether the government is getting value for the taxpayers’ money that it expends, then you ask these questions, and we will continue to ask these questions.
If you look at the record of this government in the last seven years, you can look at things like their openness on EpiCentre. Remember that one? What about their openness on the Tharwa bridge? Remember that one? Their openness in cancelling the quarterly capital works report? That has gone. There is openness for you. Remember the monthly health reports that used to be tabled on or about the 21st of each month? They are gone. Remember the fire safety upgrades in public housing which were urgent, but the money took five years to spend? That is honest and open. Remember the Griffith library process? The government has got its own consultation process that says major decisions should be consulted over a period of months, but what was Mr Hargreaves’s answer? “Oh, no, I knew what youse were gonna to say, so I didn’t not want to take it into consideration. I knew you didn’t want it. I knew that I wasn’t here representing you, so I’m not going to ask.” Look at the dragway. Where has the money for the dragway gone? Slowly sucked out of the motor racing community and back into consolidated revenue. What about the FOI process of conclusive certificates? The federal Labor Party are saying, “These are bad; we’re going to ban them.” Andrew Barr hides behind them.
What about the proposal for the data centre and the gas-fired power station where inaccuracy after inaccuracy was revealed? The Chief Minister said this was the best thing since sliced bread. There was no sunlight between Jon and this proposal when it seemed like a good thing, but then suddenly no-one was responsible for it. Then, of course, there is the great lie: the closure of 23 public schools. Before the election: “We have no plans to close.” That was six weeks after the planning commenced. “We will be honest, we will be open, we will be accountable to you—when it suits us.” Of course, we are seeing it again. We are seeing it again repeated after the 2008 election. “All our plans are on the table—well, except for the purchase of Calvary Hospital, because we really don’t want that scrutinised during the election context. All our plans are on the table.” The same minister who, before the 2004 election, said, “No schools will close,” before the 2008 election said, “All our plans are on the table.” That is the same minister who, in a Canberra Times article, said, “I won’t have to go back to the Assembly.” The same minister who tells the Property Council, “I don’t need a special appropriation.”
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .