Page 1652 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 7 May 2013
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time after time this government talking the talk on openness and accountability, but certainly not walking the walk.
We have seen another issue arising in this last week in relation to being accountable to the people of Canberra. For 17 years the Canberra Business Council has held a budget breakfast at which the government and the opposition have debated the budget. This year the Treasurer pressured the Business Council and said that they will not attend if the opposition is given the opportunity to speak—putting it out there in black and white that they did not want to be accountable to the business community on their own budget.
Mr Assistant Speaker, you have to ask the question: why would they not want to have a debate about their budget?
Mr Hanson: Because we have made fools of them for the last three or four years.
MR SESELJA: Let us look at the options. Option A is that they have been made fools of for the last few years at the budget breakfast.
Mr Hanson: Hear, hear!
MR SESELJA: Mr Hanson goes for option A, and I think anyone who has attended the budget breakfasts in recent years would have seen that the government normally do not come off that well. They do not defend their budget. Are they really saying to us that with a budget of over $4 billion of spending, of taxpayers’ money, the opposition should not have a right to reply in a public forum the day after the budget, as has always been the case? What is it about this year’s budget?
So option A is that they have always been made fools of at previous budget breakfasts. Of course, option B is that there is something particularly nasty in this budget.
Mr Hanson: Can I go for that one as well?
MR SESELJA: Mr Hanson is going for options A and B. And who knows? But we know that it is gutless of the Treasurer to not want to take on Mr Hanson on his budget. Why wouldn’t he defend his budget? What is it that is so difficult about going there, before the business community, when it is broadcast on radio through 666, and have the opportunity to say, “This is what we are doing for you”?
It should be good news. You should be able to say, “Look at all this money we’re spending on your behalf. This is how we’ve been fiscally responsible. This is how we are making sure.” Maybe it is the cost of living statement. Of course, we are looking forward to the cost of living statement that will be coming in this year’s budget. We look forward to a comprehensive cost of living statement this time.
Maybe it will include things like parking for the fictional family that has a couple of cars. Maybe you would expect that with two people working in Canberra they will pay for parking. Maybe they will account for some of those things. But why are they running away from this debate? That is the fundamental question. This has been a
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