Page 1901 - Week 05 - Thursday, 6 May 2010
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We also note that there was some money in the budget for the multicultural youth services. It was, we do agree, necessary but it was a very small amount. So we do need, as I said, to be looking at the true cost of delivering services and funding that true cost.
Growth for growth’s sake in a business-as-usual model is not in our economic, social or environmental interests. The new investment in public transport does represent a significant change to the norm and the Greens are pleased to see this shift in government thinking that, over time, will start to provide a sustainable transport framework.
We are a growing city and the budget does address this. There are a range of initiatives that we welcome. However, while more of the same catch-up spending does provide some very welcome services, it alone does not position us to respond to future challenges or to prosper from future opportunities. What this budget does not do is address how we are growing, what the full extent of challenges of that growth will be and how we can best maximise the opportunities that will come.
In the Greens’ assessment of this year’s expenditure right across the portfolios, we see a pattern: places where the government can prioritise spending in the future that will deliver savings and long-term benefits, alternatives that build environmental, social and economic sustainability.
So what we have seen on many initiatives—and we do welcome them—is that it has been a modest budget, a lean budget, a budget for its times. It is a budget that does the job. But I guess what we would like to see is that longer term vision about where we need to be going as a city, as a society, as an economy. We need to be looking at how we can shift our economy.
Forty-four per cent of the ACT’s revenue comes from the commonwealth and we need to be looking at how we might change the balance. Next week’s federal budget will be critical for the ACT. Whatever is brought down in that budget can have a massive impact. And we have already seen through the year what a huge impact the changes to the relativities through the Grants Commission process had on our bottom line. And that was a cut of $85 million from our GST income. So I also will be looking closely at next week’s federal budget to see the impact.
But, with this year’s budget, as I said, there are some small steps forward, there are some initiatives that have been funded from the parliamentary agreement. We do see, unfortunately, that there were some missed opportunities in the area of waste.
We would have liked to see some funding for preventive health, because that is good investment for the future. We would have liked to see more funding for mental health. We certainly have not seen money for the community sector but, as I have flagged, there is the wages case that will be coming down in the next several months; so it is our expectation, as I said, that government will come to the party on those wage increases.
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