Page 2995 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 30 June 2010
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encourage more units to be developed? It will not, and no-one can credibly get up and say that it will. It will discourage development.
If you have a reasonable tax then it may have very little or marginal impact on development and on decisions and on demand. But, when you put a really, really large tax—and I think by any measure $100,000 for a dual occupancy in Narrabundah; $50,000 for units in Braddon; four units in Mawson for $60,000; going through wherever you like in the inner north there; four units, $60,000 a unit; right across the board; in Dickson, where we would want to see more people living, again $60,000 for four units, $55,000 for five to 10, $50,000 for 11 to 20 units; these are very, very large numbers—you will discourage people from investing.
I will just very quickly finish and say this is fiscally irresponsible and they are desperately trying to get money back through this tax. (Time expired.)
MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (9.37): This is the most important line in the budget and it was remiss of me and others to have missed it the first time around, but we can admit these things. It would be good if other people could admit to their failings as well from time to time. The substantial failing that this government and this Treasurer need to admit to is the wastefulness of this budget and previous budgets. That wastefulness puts us in a situation where we are facing a long line of deficits, even though we are in comparatively good years.
During the dinner break I took some time to attend, sadly for only a brief period, a Rotary changeover dinner in my electorate. I spoke to as many people as I could, but I apologised that I could not stay. Mr Coe was also there; he got the pair before me and we did not think it reasonable to take two pairs on private members’ day. When people involved in the community talked about the budget it was really interesting to hear what they had to say—Rotarians of long standing and long, hard work in the community. It was best summed up by one lady who said to me, “If I see the Chief Minister plant another tree or unveil another piece of artwork when my elderly friends cannot get respite for their disabled children, I think I’m going to say something really bad.”
The people of the ACT are fed up with the wrong priorities of this government. Two or three of the conversations I had tonight could be pretty much summarised like that. We are sick of the arboretum. One person said to me, “I saw the plans. I think that it will be wonderful, but I cannot get the services that I need in the areas of health and disability. While ever those things are not being funded properly we should not be building the arboretum.” This is not Vicki Dunne speaking. This is a Belconnen Rotarian saying, “If I see the Chief Minister unveil another statue I think I’m going to lose it.” Tonight Belconnen Rotarians articulated better than I can the message about the wrong priorities of the Stanhope and Gallagher government.
I think you have to look at the record of Ms Gallagher. I was reminded of it today. We will go back. My favourite is that when she was the minister responsible we decided that we needed to replace Quamby—yes, we did have to replace Quamby—but that was a $22 million project which became a $44 million project. Ms Gallagher has always had the capacity to wheel a whole of lot money out of government, which is pretty good. It is, to some extent, a sign of her being an effective minister. But look at what we do with that money.
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