Page 1990 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 15 May 2013
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Mr Barr: I thought the age of entitlement was over. That’s Joe Hockey’s position, isn’t it? It’s the age of entitlement; it’s over.
MADAM SPEAKER: Order!
MR HANSON: We have some more mocking from Mr Barr. Mr Barr, who is constantly—
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Hanson, remember to direct your comments to the chair.
MR HANSON: Sorry, Madam Speaker. This is on the back of Mr Barr’s mocking comments this morning.
I will move on to other issues: paid parking in the parliamentary triangle. Of course, Gallagher and Barr: “Yeah, we’ll do that. Let’s have $2,600 ripped out of Canberrans’ pockets to pay for Wayne Swan’s deficit.” That is what is going to occur. That is what this is all about. This is not about better transport planning. They are now trying to bolt some more buses on to see how we can try and move people working in the parliamentary triangle around. This is not about any sort of transport initiative. This is simply to pay for Labor’s debt and deficits.
With the ongoing efficiency dividends, there is more of a squeeze on the federal public service, making people’s lives more difficult. With potential wage squeezes or reductions in office space, what is that going to do to the property market here? Just imagine if we had built the edifice in the car park, Madam Speaker. Mr Barr and Katy Gallagher said, “Let’s have this lovely tower block that’s going to save us all this money.” It would be sitting there empty, would it? We are about to lose—on the figures I think I heard, there will be $100 million in savings by doing that. Most of that will be money that comes straight out of the property sector here in the ACT.
University cuts: the people that talk about the importance of education are going to be attacking our universities. In a town that places such importance on our tertiary education sector, for this mob to come out on one hand and attack our universities like this, whilst on the other hand saying, “We’re all for education,” is just an absolute nonsense. That is all going to affect the lives of Canberrans, and it is going to damage our economy. But this mob opposite, because it is a Labor budget and it is their Labor mates, are being quiet.
Let us have a look at some of the statements made by this mob opposite and their mates. I remember getting a brochure in the mail. I imagine it was from Gai Brodtmann or Senator Lundy—I cannot remember which one it was—telling me that Wayne Swan had delivered a surplus. I remember getting it—they had delivered a surplus. This mob opposite were going, “Isn’t it wonderful? Wayne Swan, Treasurer of the year, has delivered a surplus.” Let us see what Gai Brodtmann said in the House of Reps about this:
It was a Labor budget …
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