Page 3492 - Week 08 - Thursday, 18 August 2011
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position under pressure, which could have an adverse impact on the ACT economy. While the commonwealth public service is a buttress to the ACT economy, it is also the source of considerable economic risk.
The federal Liberal Party have made it clear that on forming office they will cut 12,000 public servant positions, most of them Canberrans. This is the same populist Canberra-bashing policy that former Prime Minister Howard implemented in 1996. It smashed the ACT economy. It put Canberrans out of work. It saw the ACT become the only jurisdiction to go into recession in that year. While there are many risks to the ACT economy, this is one of the most significant we will face in the next few years.
The government is well aware that some groups in our community may be particularly susceptible to tough economic circumstances. These include self-funded retirees who rely on their investments and savings, part-time and casual workers who are vulnerable to changes in working hours, and those workers with fewer skills. The government provides a range of financial assistance in areas including energy, water and sewerage, public transport, motor vehicle registration, drivers licences and spectacles. The ACT government’s concessions portal is designed to make it easier for low income households to access information on concessions. The government increased the utilities concession by $131 from 1 July this year, bringing it to $346 per annum, and we continue to work hard to target concessions to those most in need.
In conclusion, global economic and financial uncertainty will be with us for some time. The national economic fundamentals and those of the territory are strong. But we are not immune to international economic events. We will continue to monitor developments closely and stand ready to respond, should that be required.
MR SMYTH (Brindabella) by leave: Thank you, members, for the granting of leave. I will start where the minister finished off, Madam Deputy Speaker, and I would say that the minister is right. The national economic fundamentals and those of the territory are strong, but they are certainly not as strong as they could be. I think that certainly, with some of the federal policies, some of the moneys that have been expended could have been expended more wisely. I do not think we need to go back through things like the pink batts episode and things like that. And the minister is also right: global economic and financial uncertainty will be with us for some time.
It is very important therefore that with the revenue that we have, the revenue base that we have in the ACT, we do get it right and we do use the funds that we receive very wisely. So I thank the Treasurer for presenting this statement, a much more considered view than some of them previously presented by the former Treasurer, which included statements like guesswork and pulling out of hair. So we are certainly not at that stage yet, which I think is very good.
I thank the minister for presenting the statement, and I do note generally the positive outlook for the ACT. Again, I agree that caution is necessary. Federal government decisions do affect us. I am not sure whether the federal public service is a buttress to the ACT economy or, indeed, the foundation of the ACT economy. I think it is far more than just a buttress, which is why federal government decisions are so important.
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