Page 3384 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 18 September 2013
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MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER Mr Barr, can you please sit down. Mr Barr, during your address, it was repetition. You repeated the same thing over and over and over again. That was the issue with you. Dr Bourke.
Dr Bourke: Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker. On the point of order, as I heard Mr Gentleman speaking, he was talking about productivity growth. The amendment clearly says “measure likely to slow productivity growth and cost jobs”. That is what this amendment is talking about. That is what Mr Gentleman was talking about. His speech directly addresses the amendment.
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Dr Bourke, thank you for your comments. Mr Gentleman, can you please stick to the—
MR GENTLEMAN: On the point of order, Mr Assistant Speaker—
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: On the point of order, Mr Gentleman.
MR GENTLEMAN: I am directly addressing NICTA, which is directly addressed in the amendment. The position is that should these cuts go ahead which are mentioned in this amendment then those services that I am talking about that NICTA provide will no longer be there. So it is directly relevant.
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Could you read the first sentence of the motion, Mr Gentleman?
MR GENTLEMAN: Of the motion? Yes, certainly.
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Of the amendment.
MR GENTLEMAN: Of the amendment? Certainly. It calls on the Leader of the Opposition to “adopt a bipartisan position by issuing a public statement which unequivocally condemns the proposed cuts to NICTA as a short-sighted measure likely to slow productivity growth and cost jobs”. I have just been talking about productivity growth and the work that NICTA does, which will not be there if these cuts go ahead.
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Mr Gentleman, resume. Please stick to the amendment.
MR GENTLEMAN: Thank you. Another thing that NICTA provides that may not go ahead if these cuts go through is the digital productivity showcase. As I said, it is an Australian-first space designed to be a neutral intersection point for government, researchers, companies and users of digital productivity tools. If you have a look through the showcase, it is a hands-on experience of the latest digital tools and services and helps visitors identify gaps and opportunities relevant to their industry and organisation. So you can see it is directly assisting industries and organisations, particularly in the ACT. We would like the Leader of the Opposition, as we have
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