Page 3579 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 25 August 2009
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into surplus in order to ensure that we have the capacity, the stability, into the longer term to deal with the priority needs of this community.
We have already imposed an efficiency dividend on all agencies within the ACT, except the Legislative Assembly and the Auditor-General. We will, of course, be looking to the Legislative Assembly to do the right thing and impose an efficiency dividend on itself. It would be nice to think the Auditor-General would do the same. Every other agency in the ACT has accepted an efficiency dividend.
It is going to be hard work. It is going to be incredibly hard work. The government is determined to work with the community in relation to the decisions that have to be taken and the challenges we face. I outlined earlier today that I had begun that process in relation to Territory and Municipal Services across the board. I am engaged with the Canberra community, with all stakeholders and with the community more broadly, to look at every area of expenditure in the entire portfolio. We will do the same in relation to all those areas within the Chief Minister’s Department through which services are delivered and we will find those savings.
At this stage, before the community consultation, before the forum has actually even been held, I am not ruling in or out anything. We are engaging with the community. We face an efficiency dividend. I am not ruling out a single thing. We are engaging with the community. We are going to have community forums. We are going to produce discussion papers. We are actually going to ask the people of the ACT to respond in relation to—
Mr Hanson: That is why you are spending $90 million on a hospital that we have already paid for?
MR STANHOPE: I had not realised the Liberal Party opposed the women’s and children’s hospital. When did they first oppose the women’s and children’s hospital? What a remarkable position for the Liberal Party.
I am not ruling in or out anything at this stage in relation to decisions that we will be taking responsibly and in discussions with the community in relation, most particularly, to next year’s budget and most particularly dealing with the issues that we face as a community, having regard to the consequences of the global financial crisis.
MR SPEAKER: Mr Coe, a supplementary question?
MR COE: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Minister, why are you leaving the option open of charging for basic services which should be the core business of government?
MR STANHOPE: I said that I am not ruling in or out anything at this stage. We are going to engage with the community in relation to the level of service delivery, the nature of service delivery, the range of service delivery, whether or not the community believes that some services that we now charge for or do not charge for we might charge for or not charge for, alternatively. That is the sort of discussion we are going to have. Do the people of Canberra believe that some range of services
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