Page 3198 - Week 10 - Thursday, 15 August 2013
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We are getting there, because it came from one per cent down to 0.75. Now it is 0.67. I see a progression here, and maybe next year he will realise it. It is quite reasonable to say 0.5 of one per cent, because, as he said, they have returned $10 million this year. So it is a reasonable thing to do, and our decision to put it on the table some five years ago has been vindicated.
Let us get to the urgent and unforeseen. With respect to some of the spending, the Territory and Municipal Services Directorate got $6.2 million on 17 June, and it is the same old line—to address a range of costs associated with the delivery of ACTION services and the TAMS Comcare premium. Again, ACTION is a big winner in the Treasurer’s advance. If the government were to fund it properly—but I suspect, given Mr Coe’s relentless pursuit of costs in ACTION, they do not want to actually put the full costs of running ACTION in every year, because they know the subsidy is higher than they like to admit.
The Economic Development Directorate came in on the 24th of the 6th for another $2.1 million, in this case for sportsground irrigation. Again, how the need to irrigate sportsground is urgent and unforeseen is beyond me. If we are going to take care of—
Mr Barr: It depends on the level of rainfall in the year, doesn’t it, amazingly?
MR SMYTH: If you are going to take care of those assets, you need to do it properly. JACS was a big winner again—$1.7 million on the 24th to provide costs relating to Corrective Services, additional judicial resources for the Supreme Court and the Remuneration Tribunal determinations. Oddly enough, Emergency Services did not come with the begging cup this year, so perhaps a tick there for the first time in a long time because ESA did not come looking for it.
Ms Gallagher: What about Health?
MR SMYTH: Health gets growth funds built in—another wonderful Liberal addition which, when we started it, your party said was a slush fund. I can remember your father, Ms Berry, standing here and saying, “It’s a Liberal Party slush fund.” There it was, but it has been incorporated into the government.
Justice and Community Safety, not happy with having the begging cup out once, came back for a second bite. On the 24th of the 6th they came back—an additional $873,000. Rattle that tin at the Treasurer’s door. There was Mr Corbell saying, “Please Andrew, I’d like some more.” This related to territory legal expenses and compensation payments. Katy is trying not to smile at that vision of Simon Corbell as the Oliver Twist of the ACT Assembly. There he is, cap in hand: “Please sir, I’d like some more.” And on it goes.
Of course, not to be outdone, TAMS were a bit cunning this year. Instead of asking for only one hit, they came back for a second bite. So we now have a separate Treasurer’s advance for ACTION and then we have another $1.6 million to address a range of additional costs in 2012-13. They could not even nominate what the additional costs at $1.686 million were, but there was Shane, in for his chop. He
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