Page 2853 - Week 07 - Thursday, 7 June 2012

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All of these are based on the premise that little costs can make a big difference and that support should be local.

We have put forward ideas that mean smarter management and better services—like credit card parking machines, more online engagement and more front-line services. We have put forward ideas, and had some of these implemented, on better government, such as FOI reform, government advertising reform and campaign finance reform. We have proposed a policy for an independent public administration commissioner to enhance and protect the valuable work of our public servants. We have put forward ideas to protect police and protect our citizens. Our legislation to take action against drug drivers is a standout achievement and I pay particular credit to Jeremy Hanson for his work on that issue. We will continue to fight for better protection for our police.

We have fought for and achieved actions in local shops and streets, such as Kambah, Erindale, Weston Creek and Hawker shops, all with genuine street-level support and success. We have had wins for the Shepherd Centre, road safety in Tuggeranong and transit lanes on Adelaide Avenue.

Local services; lower costs—a simple creed ACT Labor and the Greens simply fail to grasp.

The people of this town are not crying out for this government to provide solutions to the world’s problems. They are looking for competent governance of basic services, and keeping the cost of providing that to a minimum. Two things I guarantee a Liberal government will do better than a Labor-Greens government every day of the week and every week of the year. Services like health, which the government has so spectacularly failed in. Services like road building and infrastructure delivery, where this government has so abjectly faltered. And costs—housing affordability, rates and the costs of basic utilities. All marked failures of this government and all hit yet again in this budget.

No, the Canberra Liberals have been about, and will always be about, local services and lower costs.

I am very proud of my team and what we have achieved this term. We have done an outstanding job of keeping this government to account. My team have done an outstanding job of standing up for their communities and focusing on local issues. They have done an outstanding job of building a team ready and able to offer a better alternative to the Labor-Greens alliance.

And I think we have done all this and been true to our core values as Liberals. One of the most fundamental values is that we believe government is an institution that exists to support the freedoms of individuals, not impose an ideology on the masses.

We value the pride and prosperity that comes from homeownership and the belief that those who have worked hard to achieve that goal should not be taxed mercilessly to keep it. We value education and educational choice, not forcing people into situations


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