Page 5873 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 7 December 2011
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(2) calls on the Chief Minister to:
(a) follow the example of the Leader of the Opposition and write to her Federal colleagues about the Federal Labor scheme to sack Canberrans; and
(b) stand up for the Canberra community and publicly denounce the Federal Labor scheme to sack Commonwealth public servants.
Members, if you look at this motion it may appear familiar. It should appear familiar to you because we debated a similar motion just some months ago, except you could change the words “Liberal” and “Labor”. When there were proposed Liberal cuts in the air Ms Porter was quite keen to see a motion calling on the Leader of the Opposition to write to his federal colleagues and say, “Don’t punish Canberra.”
I think it is appropriate, given that there are proposed cuts to the public service, and some would say up to 3,000 jobs—the number is unclear because the federal Labor government does not have the courage or the wherewithal to determine what the number will be—that I have simply transposed in most cases the words “Liberal” for “Labor”. I look forward to the support of all members today because, no matter who is proposing the cuts, members in this place should stand up and say: “Let’s not blame Canberrans. Let’s not cut public servants in the ACT because you, the federal Labor government, can’t balance your books.”
I want to make it clear that in paragraph (1)(c), where I say “the Leader of the Opposition has written to his Federal colleagues regarding this issue”, that was, of course, in relation to a previous matter and it was done before the previous matter, as Mr Seselja pointed out. He had written straightaway to Mr Abbott and had conversations with Mr Abbott. I had conversations with Mr Abbott saying, “We decry any cuts to Canberra.” I look forward to everyone agreeing to this motion today. If we hold everyone who spoke to the motion previously to their word, they will agree with this motion.
I think it is important to remind Ms Porter of some of her words:
Labor, on the other hand, has always been the party of working people and the party that creates jobs. … Labor has always been in the business of creating jobs.
She actually said in the opening lines of her speech:
On this subject the difference between the Labor Party and the Liberal Party could not be more stark. The contrast goes to the very essence of our philosophy as opposed to that of those opposite.
We will see how those opposite react to this very starkness, because it is an important motion. Potentially, up to 3,000 jobs may go as a consequence of this budget and it is very important for people’s personal security and that of their families. Then, of course, there are the flow-on effects to our economy.
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