Page 2850 - Week 07 - Thursday, 7 June 2012
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This is a government that is wracked by dishonesty, and never more so than in election years. Before the 2004 election—we all remember, don’t we?—Katy Gallagher said, “There will be no school closures under a government I lead,” so to speak. Six weeks after the election she started closing schools. It took her six weeks to break that promise. We know that 23 were closed despite the promise of no school closures. We still do not know exactly why because they have kept the report secret.
Then came the 2008 election. What was the promise that time? Katy Gallagher again made the announcement: “All our plans in health are on the table.” Turns out all the plans were not on the table; Katy had a joker up her sleeve.
After the election we discovered there were advanced negotiations to purchase Calvary hospital, at taxpayer expense, without telling taxpayers that that is what she intended to do. This was to be the single biggest shake-up of health care in the territory’s history—but not a word from Katy Gallagher before the election. It was only after the election that the truth came out, and only then when it was leaked to the media. That is two elections in a row that Ms Gallagher has emphatically told the community one thing but was secretly planning to do the exact opposite.
That is the hallmark of this government, and that is why this budget, with its promised reforms, will require very detailed scrutiny. Even on blindingly obvious occasions this government seems utterly incapable of telling the truth. Take the GDE. This is a road that was the most visible building project in the entire city for a decade. It took longer to build than the Sydney Harbour Bridge and was years late and millions over budget. This government had the audacity to go out in public and say it was delivered early.
We are all waiting for another announcement in relation to light rail, as they have done at the last few elections. A promise that they would seriously look at it has been made for the last four elections. Every single time Labor have failed to deliver. Every single time.
This budget is no different from those in the past, and if ACT Labor stays in power, they will be no different in the future. After 11 years, too many times you have failed to deliver. Too many times you have not told the truth. Too many times you have taxed more and spent more. And too many times you have led the territory into the black hole of permanent deficits.
Despite the first whammy of ever-increasing taxes and the second whammy of ever-decreasing services, there is still a third whammy—that is, the huge deficit. Before the 2008 election Jon Stanhope made another promise—a cast-iron guarantee to the people of Canberra. He said in September 2008 that Jon Stanhope was committed to Labor to delivering surpluses every year if re-elected. He then was quoted as saying, “We will not take the budget into deficit in any year.” How can you believe anything this mob say? Katy Gallagher and Andrew Barr have predicted or delivered deficits in almost every year. Not just small deficits—there is $600 million over the years. Over $600 million in this budget that has to be paid back.
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