Page 2258 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 9 May 2012
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this job on behalf of the Assembly to represent the people of the ACT’s needs at that table. If Mr Smyth does not want me to do that, that is fine; I can say I am representing everybody other than the Liberal Party, and they will choose their own avenues to do that. But it is an important message if we have a unanimous vote out of this place today. The focus needs to be on what we do, how we maintain our economic stability, what decisions need to be taken and how, as a small community, we work together to further the interests of this town.
This should not be about pointing the finger and accusing people unfairly of being liars and spending virtually the entire 15 minutes—certainly the entire time that I was down here, which was the majority of the presentation—attacking the other political party and not actually delivering any outcome at all, and that is what we need out of this place today.
MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (4.21): The irony of the Chief Minister saying that we are attacking the party that is about to gut Canberra and that we should join her to stand up to appease her own party’s endeavours is just—
Ms Gallagher interjecting—
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Mr Hargreaves): Resume your seat, Mr Smyth. Chief Minister, I have had cause to indicate to the opposition that I will strike without warning if this behaviour keeps up. Please do not put me on the spot.
MR SMYTH: It is just absolutely laughable that the Chief Minister would make those statements. Whenever the federal Liberal Party have made comments, Mr Seselja has written to them and been on the phone and I have been on the phone. I spoke to members of the federal Liberal Party again this morning about the need to understand the effect of the policies of either side on the future of Canberra.
But Ms Gallagher cannot do that on her own. She now wants an imprimatur from this place to act on our behalf. Are you the Chief Minister or aren’t you? If you are the Chief Minister, you have already got—
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Mr Smyth, through the chair, please.
MR SMYTH: She has already got that imprimatur, Mr Assistant Speaker, but she obviously does not want to stand up and say as the Labor Chief Minister of the ACT, “I disavow your policy and I call on you to desist from the slashing of these jobs from Canberra.” But she will not, she has not and she cannot do that. In question time she said, “I have made statements.” I have read your statements, Ms Gallagher. It is a surrender. Your amendment today is the “roll over and surrender” amendment and “accept what is about to happen”.
Look at the predictions that various groups have made. It started in the Canberra Times back in January when they predicted, apparently quite accurately, some 14,000 job losses from the Australian public service, the effects of which will be felt most dramatically here in the ACT. Yet what we have had is a litany of Labor apologists saying, “It just won’t happen.” Andrew Barr said, “It’s not 14,000; it is 300. I have
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