Page 2836 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 13 August 2013
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Quite simply, due to the regular variations that may impact on the budget, it would be impractical to delay passing the budget because of one particular item. There would always be something new, a new piece of information that is coming or is anticipated at any point in the calendar or fiscal year. There will always be updated information.
In relation to the dividend from ACTEW Corporation Ltd, I have informed the estimates committee and the Assembly of the estimated impact, I have come back with officials to the estimates committee for a special hearing to examine those matters. In light of the ICRC’s determination on water and sewerage pricing, ACTEW is now analysing the impact the determination will have, and that information will be publicly available and will be fed into the next budget update.
I have asked for the preliminary analysis which I have shared with the estimates committee and with the Assembly. Now, if Mr Smyth is suggesting that somehow ACTEW and the Auditor-General should be rushing to produce numbers, he is either a fool or he does not understand how a business or corporation law works. We are being transparent. I have given an indicative figure to the committee and to the Assembly on the impact of the cut in water and sewerage bills for Canberra households. To suggest that the budget needs to be completely rewritten and updated is simply overkill. It is a stunt designed to attract, albeit limited, media attention today, because most people are aware of just how much of a stunt this is. The motion should be rejected for what it is.
In relation to the specific elements of Mr Smyth’s motion, I refer him to the government’s response to recommendations 2 and 7 of the estimates committee report. In relation to the light rail project, I refer him to the government’s response to recommendations 93 through 108. They provide the government’s response on all of those matters. The budget is before the Assembly to debate over the next 16 hours. We should get on with that debate and not indulge this pathetic stunt from the shadow treasurer. It is simply wasting the Assembly’s time.
The appropriation bills need to be debated this week. The government would like—and so would the community—to see the new initiatives within this budget get underway. New initiatives are not covered by the supply period. New appropriations, new projects, require the authorisation of this Assembly to commence. The government wants to get on with the delivery of those new initiatives. We will not support this no-confidence motion today.
MR COE (Ginninderra) (11.24): I, too, want to express extreme concern with the Treasurer’s presentation of the 2013-14 territory budget. Consistent with the Liberals’ philosophy is the notion that money collected by the government through taxation is not the government’s money but is in fact taxpayers’ money. As such, there should be considerable responsibility and caution when the government spends this money. We have heard from Mr Smyth about some of the issues with this particular budget and why it is that the opposition does not have confidence in Mr Barr’s ability to accurately demonstrate the status of the territory’s finances.
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