Page 5211 - Week 12 - Thursday, 27 October 2011
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MR BARR (Molonglo—Deputy Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Education and Training and Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation) (5.10): In the context of this debate, I think the challenge for the Leader of the Opposition, in light of his statements on ABC radio last week, will be to issue a public statement outlining the fact that he misled the people of Canberra in relation to the Chief Minister’s position on the matter of an apology for those in the Community Services Directorate impacted by outcomes there.
We had a fairly robust exchange on ABC radio last week. I understand that the Leader of the Opposition may in fact now have the correct information in relation to the Chief Minister’s statements. He may have reviewed the Hansard and he might be in a position now to make a formal statement on the public record indicating that he misled the people of the ACT repeatedly on ABC radio last week.
I understand that is Mr Seselja’s position now, that he does recognise that he was wrong and that I was correct in calling him on that last week. If we are going to have, as we anticipate, in the next 12 months a robust debate about respective and relative honesty, then Mr Seselja is hardly above reproach when it comes to making a series of misleading statements and—
Ms Seselja interjecting—
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Mr Hargreaves): Mr Seselja, please!
MR BARR: The Chief Minister has just indicated to you, Mr Seselja, and it is on the public record—your staff recorded it; her staff recorded it—that at no point was “annual” ever mentioned by the Chief Minister. I think that the standard you seek and that Ms Hunter seeks in relation to the costing of election commitments will be over a forward estimates period, over the four-year budget cycle.
Unless you specify in a policy announcement that it is a one-off, it is not unreasonable for matters to be costed over a four-year period and the four-year impact on the budget. Your policy announcement of last week, unless you are prepared to stand up now and say it is a one-off, will have an impact each and every year. The total impact over the forward estimates will be more than $10 million. In fact, what the Chief Minister indicated in her press conference last week is a conservative estimate of the impact over the four-year forward estimates.
That has been the standard practice of Treasury costings of election commitments. I think that would have to be the basis. I am sure that Ms Hunter would agree in terms of the election costings bill that the full impact over the forward estimates needs to be taken into account. On that basis, I do not see anyone over there contesting that the four-year impact of this will be more than $10 million. You know that.
Mr Smyth: Read the policies.
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Mr Barr, through the chair, please.
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