Page 3682 - Week 08 - Thursday, 19 August 2010
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repeating: in just over a span of five years under the Howard government the commonwealth’s contribution to the territory’s hospital costs reduced from 31 per cent to just 23 per cent; the commonwealth’s contribution towards disability services reduced from around 18 per cent to around 14 per cent; and per capita specific purpose payments from the commonwealth—contributions for services such as hospital care, disability services, housing assistance and home care—actually decreased by around 10 per cent in real terms.
ACT Labor has picked up the slack, in many cases not just making up for the comparative decline in commonwealth contribution but catering for growth too. The community should be rightly worried that we will have to do it all again if there is a change in the government federally. I am worried, the government is worried, justifiably so, and the opposition should be worried. Mr Abbott has form and we should be worried that that history will be repeated.
In fact, we already know that $1 billion will be taken out of the pharmaceutical benefits scheme. Who are the people that rely on the PBS? It is mainly the sick and the elderly. This morning on AM the Liberals were saying that this would not have any effect on the most vulnerable. Who are they trying to fool? This is just another example of why this territory needs a strong and stable federal government.
Having the seat of Australian government and its associated bureaucracy here in Canberra is so much part of the fabric of this city that it is very easy for us to take it for granted. Unfortunately, it is often only when there is a real threat to the ongoing strength and stability of the commonwealth public sector that we stand back and really examine its importance and remind ourselves of its crucial role in maintaining the health and vitality of our economy.
It is almost stating the bleeding obvious to say that Canberra would not be the place it is without a strong and stable commonwealth public sector. The city’s role as the national capital means that we are unique amongst the states and territories in our relationship with the Australian government. As we all know, while the territory has existed as a self-governing entity since 1989, the commonwealth retains control over large areas of our city, including the airport, the parliamentary triangle and major transport corridors. Any erosion of the funding or stability of these important activities, such as the slash and burn policies of the federal colleagues of those opposite, would not only denigrate Canberra as a national capital but also compromise the role of the national capital and the successful delivery of the centenary of Canberra celebrations in 2013.
The territory’s strong economic performance has not just happened by luck. It has happened due to the hard work and commitment of both territory and commonwealth governments which share a common ideal of working in partnership with our community, employees and businesses, so that the combined effort of all is by far greater than any effort alone. This common sense of purpose comes about from the stability afforded by a strong commonwealth public service and can simply not be replicated with a depleted and ground-down public service, particularly one that is in turmoil.
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