Page 5316 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 15 November 2011
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
It is not only price that is important. Equity issues arise when significant areas of Canberra do not have access to quality public transport. Currently areas such as Wanniassa, east Tuggeranong, Weston Creek and west Belconnen have low public transport coverage. These are also areas that have some social disadvantage. I note the introduction of the Blue Rapid service from Kippax, which is another achievement under the Labor-Greens parliamentary agreement. These should be priority areas for bus network improvements.
The Greens welcome the initiatives on financial and banking services. This is, of course, a very important area where targeted assistance and services can make a real difference to people’s lives. I look forward to seeing that develop and to that being rolled out. (Time expired.)
MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (4.32): It is always good to hear the Greens preaching about public housing and access for the poor to public housing, particularly when we had that fine example of how a Greens MLA stayed in public housing when on a wage and quite able to live in the community and support her own way. But, no, she chose to stay in public housing, denying that home to a family in need. That is the problem with motions like these. We get the sanctimonious chat from the Greens and we get the pious comments from the Labor Party, but the reality is that, after 10 years in office, the less well off in this territory are less well off under a Labor government.
There are not too many concrete examples that the former Treasurer and now Chief Minister can point to of where they have actually gone about reducing the cost of living impacts on the people of the ACT. It is not just those that live below the poverty line; it is not just those on average weekly earnings. There are a lot of superannuants out there, self-funded retirees, who have suffered through the last couple of years. There are very few, if any, breaks for them. The government say, “We’ve given some more money in our rebate programs.” I think we all welcome that, but it is not addressing the root cause of the problem. The root cause of the problem is the Labor Party and their addiction to taxes and increasing fees and charges. The people that they hurt the most are the least well off.
It is just sanctimonious claptrap to have people lecture us on this side of the house as somehow being uncaring when the Chief Minister and former Treasurer will not be able to stand up and speak to a single initiative that has reduced the cost of living in the time that her party has been in office. When we announce an initiative that will take an administrative fee off people who are doing it tough, the people that this change in payment arrangement was designed to help, we get laughed at by those opposite.
What do we get in response? Instead of policy—and let us remember that there are about 20,000 public servants backing Katy Gallagher up—that is detailed, well thought out, researched, well written up and properly costed, we simply get thought bubbles. That is all they are from the Chief Minister—thought bubbles. It is like this notion of the new era of accountability and openness. It is like “the old era failed”. Let’s face it, nine years of Jon Stanhope was a failure in terms of openness and accountability. The only thing that the Chief Minister at this stage seems to be able to
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video