Page 5890 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 7 December 2011
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the intentions were and certainly to argue against the savings being imposed on organisations such as the NCA, which we already know is cash strapped. Indeed, I have also put in a request for a meeting with the minister for the territories, Simon Crean.
Unfortunately, to disappoint those opposite, we have already put in train a number of different avenues to go and argue our case for Canberra, as we do regularly in any opportunity that we have to speak with federal ministers, as I presume those opposite, if they speak to their federal colleagues and federal members for the ACT, are also arguing the case for Canberra in everything they do. In every single meeting I have, it is all about arguing the case for Canberra. This is the city we represent, and it is exactly what I do.
I did write to Joe Hockey when he made the comments, because he actually said 12,000 public servants in Canberra. I took that up the next day and I invited him to come down to Canberra and meet Canberrans who work, live and play in our city so that he could have an understanding that real people live in Canberra. When he makes comments like that—
Mr Hanson: Better say the same to Wayne Swan, then.
MS GALLAGHER: No federal Labor member has said the first thing they will do is sack 12,000 Canberrans, with the disdain that the federal Liberal member actually said it. And do you know what? I have not even had a reply from Joe Hockey. The Chief Minister, the head of the territory, writes to a federal member, a senior federal member in Joe Hockey’s position, and I have not even had a “I’ve received your letter and am not actioning it, because I don’t care and I’m not responding”. He does not even need to say that.
I spoke to members of our business community and asked would they participate in a roundtable. I invited him to a roundtable. I have not even had a response. I would not even have minded so much if he had said, “I don’t want to come to the roundtable,” or, “No, I’d find that a bit awkward after what I said.” But I have not even had a response. I think that shows, again, the disdain that the federal Liberal Party has for the ACT.
Mr Hanson: It is a bit like me emailing you about visits to the hospital system, isn’t it? I did not even get a response on that. It is quite hurtful, isn’t it? I was quite aggrieved.
MS GALLAGHER: Mr Hanson is seeking to raise an issue about his visits to the hospital, which I am happy to deal with in another motion, if Mr Hanson chooses to move one. I will respond by letting everybody know that you did not turn up to the meeting that we had organised around budget funding for health where I had senior officers from the directorate available. You did not turn up, Mr Hanson. So we can have this little, clever, funny game if you would like, but this issue is actually around public servants and efficiency dividends across the—
Mr Hanson: And not receiving responses to correspondence.
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