Page 3642 - Week 08 - Thursday, 19 August 2010
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Mrs Dunne: On the point of order, my point is that Mr Hargreaves is being vexatious on this issue and his interposing just then demonstrates my point exactly. You have ruled probably half a dozen times that questions of that order are out of order. For him to continue to ask, or to insist on his right to ask, is vexatious and brings into question your ruling.
Mr Hargreaves: On that point of order, Mr Speaker, I have never, ever challenged your ruling. I have accepted it instantly.
Mr Smyth: You continue to do it.
Mr Hanson: You do. You continue to do it.
Mr Hargreaves: And I will.
MR SPEAKER: Thank you, members. I have indicated that Mr Hargreaves’s question is out of order. Mrs Dunne, I am not sure that it is as frequent as you have suggested. I have, however, raised the point with Mr Hargreaves before, but it has been some time, I think. So as I am mindful that supplementary questions should not excessively be used in a tactical way, I will be keeping an eye on it. Now, you want to ask a question without notice, Mr Hargreaves?
Commonwealth public service
MR HARGREAVES: Absolutely, Mr Speaker, and I accept your ruling with alacrity. My question is to the Chief Minister. Can the Chief Minister advise the Assembly of the likely impacts of an Abbott-led coalition policy as detailed yesterday by Mr Hockey and Mr Robb to increase the efficiency dividends applied to the commonwealth public service from 1.25 per cent to two per cent as it applies to the ACT?
MR STANHOPE: I thank Mr Hargreaves for the question. I think there is no more important question as we face the impending election, which is just three days away. We find in the lead-up to that election that we as an Assembly are faced with some very particular issues and some major challenges most particularly should the Liberal party win the election.
We have a stated policy position of the Liberal Party that they will remove $24 billion from commonwealth outlays, were they to win the election on Saturday. We find yesterday that, not content with previous policy statements in relation to a $24 billion reduction in outlays and an associated admitted 12,000 reduction in workforce, in order to actually keep pace with the rampant billion-dollar-a-day election pledges that the federal Leader of the Liberal Party is making, they have added an additional billion dollars of cuts to federal government outlays, with a promise to, in fact, increase the efficiency dividend from the current 1.25 per cent to two per cent. Another billion dollars, just like that.
The federal Leader of the Opposition is out making his election promises and his party’s position in relation to the coming election, the promises he has made and how
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