Page 1939 - Week 05 - Thursday, 6 May 2010
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am talking about the arboretum. Ms Le Couteur has said that the money that has been put aside for the arboretum could purchase many things. However, this is an investment for our city; it is an investment for our future; it is an investment that will pay dividends several times over far into the future. I welcome the funds in this budget put aside for the arboretum. I am glad the government continues to be both responsible and also visionary.
MR COE (Ginninderra) (5.47): The budget the Treasurer presented on Tuesday is one that unfairly hurts families and makes hardworking Canberrans pay the price for Labor’s mismanagement of public finances. The situation was well described by the leader of the Canberra Liberals, Zed Seselja, at the Canberra Business Council’s breakfast yesterday. At the event, he described the state of play as being the least bang for the most buck. Indeed, this government has disregard for public money. The ALP and Greens share the philosophy that governments are better at making decisions about individuals’ finances than the individuals themselves. We on this side of the chamber believe that what makes our community great are the people that comprise it. I have the utmost confidence in Canberrans’ ability to invest in their future and that of and their families. We do not need a government that over-reaches into our pockets.
We all know that there is a need for limited taxation to deliver efficient services to Canberrans. However, what we have seen from this government is excessive taxation for the delivery of poor services. It is the average Canberra family that is subsidising this government’s poor decision making and the pet projects of the Chief Minister and the Greens. Next year, the average person will pay $3,127 to the ACT government in taxes—that is, every man, woman and child is paying in excess of $3,100 to the ACT government, and it is on the rise. That is in addition to our federal taxes, including GST. Does anyone in Canberra think we are getting good value for money? I argue no. This government is a poor custodian of our money. Often, it is families in the suburbs, like the suburbs I represent in Ginninderra, that are paying above and beyond their fair share for substandard services and infrastructure.
The government’s mismanagement of our territory is clearly depicted through the increased revenue measures to be introduced from 1 July this year. The changes to the betterment tax are a massive tax on families and are in addition to all the other increases to fees and charges. I look forward to scrutinising the government ministers in estimates to find out where some of the wastage is so that we can try to bring reforms to this government.
As a shadow minister in the Liberal opposition, I have responsibilities for urban services, transport services, housing, heritage and youth. Today, I will briefly address how the budget impacts on these areas. It is in the Department of Territory and Municipal Services that we see so many missed opportunities when it comes to the delivery of core services and basic infrastructure for Canberrans. The Ernst & Young report that was reluctantly released by the ACT government last year contains findings such as:
… less priority is afforded to financial discipline both organisationally and individually and the consequences of overspending are not evident.
And:
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