Page 2863 - Week 07 - Thursday, 7 June 2012
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The Greens believe that we are very fortunate in this jurisdiction that our parliament is so closely connected and accessible to our community and at the same time is responsible for the big issues that will fundamentally affect our lives for decades to come. More than any other parliament we can think global and act local. We can make sure that we reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and play our fair share in reducing the threat of climate change, at the same time organising a waste recovery service to implement the necessary changes.
We are happy to challenge the status quo and respond to the evidence and the merits of ideas, not the dog whistling or scare mongering, not to populism and opinion polls or the interests of big business above ordinary Canberrans.
The budget and the way the government spend the community’s money are the biggest single test of what sort of job they are doing. The Greens will support the budget in principle. We believe that it is a responsible budget and we understand the importance of stable government and reliable services. Our job is not to wreck and nay-say; it is to work constructively to improve our city and the lives of all who live here.
Mr Smyth challenged me yesterday, at the Press Club, about whether I would push the Australian Greens to block the federal budget to oppose the proposed job cuts by the commonwealth. I did not get the opportunity to respond at the time because there was a quip made by Ms Gallagher which the whole room found very funny, but I will respond to Mr Smyth now. Mr Smyth, the absolute worst thing the Australian Greens could do for Canberra right now is to block supply, bring down the government and deliver Canberra’s future into Tony Abbott’s hands. The impacts of his very large, 12,000, 15,000, 20,000 job cuts from the public service would be devastating. It would throw this place into recession. It is one of the largest clouds on the horizon and one of the biggest threats that I see to the ACT budget returning to surplus in 2015-16.
Mr Smyth, that is the thing about being in the balance of power. It would be irresponsible to threaten to bring down a government every time we did not get exactly what we want.
The Greens have not been afraid to tackle the big issues. We do not want the government or this place to be reduced to a town council. We have a much bigger responsibility to the people of Canberra than to hide from all the big issues that we face. The Greens want to be part of all the decisions that this place should rightly make. We want to deliver better daily services and better big picture outcomes that reflect the views and values of the progressive Canberra that we live in. We were the first jurisdiction to have a female leader, to properly recognise same-sex relationships, to enact a Human Rights Act, and we are the only jurisdiction that places the responsibilities of state and local government in one place. This should deliver benefits at both levels, not one at the expense of the other.
The real question for us now is whether we just want to make the systems of the past work a bit better or whether we are prepared to actually face up to the real issues and challenges and deliver real changes—changes that will deliver long-term benefits.
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