Page 1939 - Week 05 - Thursday, 5 May 2011
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
funds will be used in part for health assets and for the proposed Majura Parkway. My concern, however, at this time is the proposal from the government to build a new office block for public servants—the palais de Stanhope.
Mr Seselja and others have called into question the merits of continuing with this building project. I think the laughter at yesterday’s breakfast further highlights the concerns with this building. I have not seen any evidence that this building will provide a net benefit to the territory. What we heard yesterday was that the Chief Minister will not release the full business case. He has asked for an edited version to be put together to prove his thinking.
The public accounts committee recently made a recommendation about this proposed building in its interim report on the review of the Auditor-General’s report No 6 on government office accommodation. PAC said this in recommendation 2:
The Committee recommends that the ACT Government provide the Standing Committee on Public Accounts with an assessment of the opportunity cost of a whole-of-government office building project against other significant infrastructure projects, such as the Majura Parkway, a light rail network, a new convention centre, or a third major hospital.
What about just returning some of that money to the public? What about taking the burden of taxation off ordinary taxpayers and what about reducing the cost of living instead of adding to their burden? As a member of PAC, I certainly have not seen any analysis of the opportunity cost of investing in this proposed building as against other prospective investment proposals. Indeed, as PAC requested in one of its other recommendations, we have not seen any of the analysis at all, as well you know, Mr Assistant Speaker. The real worry is that we will get now an edited version.
It is quite amazing. The Chief Minister stands up here and says that the case for this is outstanding or that the case for this is clear. Well, give us that case. Don’t give us your edited version. The real worry is that, as with all Labor governments, the legacy of this government will be a mountain of debt akin to Labor’s debt of $344 million in 1995, and it will be up to the Canberra Liberals to sort the mess out yet again.
As I said at the outset, the real lack in this budget, as with all other budgets from this Labor government, is the absence of a strategy for the future of the ACT’s economy. There is no indication of any attempt to diversify the economic base of the ACT or reduce reliance on the public sector activity. And we are exposed when 46 per cent of gross state product comes from government spending. The majority of that comes from the federal government. We know what the federal government is considering for next week.
MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (4.01): The legacy of this ACT Labor government will be one of record revenues, record taxes, record spending, record borrowing, with nothing saved for a rainy day, wrong priorities, poorly managed infrastructure, budget blow-outs and Canberra families feeling the pinch with a cost of living that is forever getting out of their reach. Canberra families are struggling today because of the Stanhope Labor government and their 10 years of grasping with their hands in our pockets.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video