Page 3539 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 18 August 2010
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should not necessarily need private health insurance—that we should be able to provide the sort of health system in Australia where, at the age of 90, having contributed to our society for an extended period of time, having contributed to Australian society for a long period of time, she should get the health cover she deserves without needing to sign up to private health insurance.
I want to come to some of the cost of living pressures that Mr Seselja flagged in his motion. He has made a series of quite broad, sweeping statements. I want to focus on a couple of the points that he has picked up on that affect Canberra residents. One of those is going to be electricity prices, but I would like to start first of all on the cost pressures Canberra families face on transport.
One of the themes of this motion is that there is a sense that the Greens are going to somehow make it worse for Canberrans. The Liberal Party seems to think that the Greens’ strong advocacy of public transport and good planning is all about getting Canberrans out of their cars. Mr Seselja has made that point in this chamber on a number of occasions, particularly in the context of us making the observation that we believe Canberrans should be able to choose to not need a second car—that they should be able to have the choice to perhaps need only one car.
The reason we advocate this is that the cost of having a second car is extremely high. Let me turn to the NRMA Motoring & Services 2010 whole of life fixed costs vehicle operating costs report summary. This is the NRMA telling us what it costs to run a car. They have the least expensive whole-of-life costs by class of vehicle. They have taken the cheapest vehicle in each of the classes and worked out what it costs to run it—the whole-of-life costs for a medium car. So let us take something medium—$147.83 a week to run a car. Let us talk about cost of living pressures. Let us try to give some of these Canberra families the choice to not have to spend that $148 a week. That is nearly $300 a fortnight out of the pay packet, yet the Canberra Liberals, every time—
Members interjecting—
Ms Hunter: Point of order, Madam Assistant Speaker. I cannot hear Mr Rattenbury at all. I would ask if the conversation across the chamber could be lower, but we have constant interjections. I cannot hear Mr Rattenbury, Madam Assistant Speaker.
MADAM ASSISTANT SPEAKER: On the point of order, there is a high level of discussion. I have not witnessed any actual interjection for the last little while, but there have been very loud conversations on both sides of the chamber. Can members keep the volume down, please?
MR RATTENBURY: I will just try and speak through the stench of hypocrisy, Madam Assistant Speaker. The point I was making was that there is $148 a week that the Greens would like to see Canberra families not have to spend on a second vehicle.
Mr Seselja: Point of order, Madam Assistant Speaker.
MR RATTENBURY: The clocks, please, Madam Assistant Speaker.
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