Page 3393 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 19 August 2009
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council had existed for some time, and it is just crazy that we stand here today lauding the government for reintroducing something they got rid of three years ago.
The abolition was justified by the Stanhope-Gallagher government following the analysis of the flawed and secret Costello report. Again, it is another reason for this place to see that full report. It is another flawed piece of analysis that the government has got away with, and it is another reason why that report should be tabled here in the ACT Assembly.
Let us consider the situation now. If you consider the proportions of employment regarding private-public sector, you have only to look at the fact that, in 2000, about 60 per cent of employment in the ACT was private sector employment. Therefore, public sector employment was about 40 per cent. That is something that the previous government had worked hard on. We knew that, if we wanted to grow the economy, if we wanted to diversify the economic base, growing employment in the private sector was part of that equation. We actually worked on it.
Mr Barr: The fact that the commonwealth sacked so many public servants probably helped in that ratio.
MR SMYTH: We worked on it. The slack was taken up. It was taken up by the private sector. But recent statistics show that the public sector is growing at somewhere between 45 and 50 per cent now, and going up. We had statements from the Treasurer recently that she does not think it will change. These are the confusing signals that this government sends to the business community. Ted Quinlan was unashamedly pro small business. Katy Gallagher does not think we can do anything to change it; therefore “we’re not going to try”. Jon Stanhope laments that our narrow economic base is holding us back, but when you look at all of his actions, you will see that they have put extra taxation burdens on business and they have done nothing to diversify the ACT economy. So where is it that the government stands?
It gets even more confusing when you have Joy Burch, member for Brindabella, stand up here today and recognise the establishment of the Canberra Small and Micro Business Forum, but with no appreciation, understanding or acknowledgement that it was the government that she is part of that got rid of it. I think that is the crazy bit about having this debate today.
There are a number of issues. There are real issues out there for small business. Procurement, which the public accounts committee is going to look at, is a big issue for local businesses, not just small and micro businesses. Taxation is a big issue for business. Red tape continues to be an issue, and the ability of small business in particular to respond to things like requests for tender, or indeed to comply with the legislation that the government puts in place. There is the way that government puts on fees and charges, and where it puts them. Of course, planning—as Mr Barr, the planning minister, is with us—is a big burden on organisations in the ACT, who simply want to get on with the job of being in business but cannot because of the burden that the government puts on them.
Mrs Dunne will speak later about the OH&S regulations that are facing business. There is a lot of trepidation out there about the regulations that this government has
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