Page 219 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 26 February 2014
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(2) calls on the Government to continue to manage the ACT Budget in a prudent, open and responsible manner, in particular given uncertainty around continuing contraction by the Commonwealth Government and its current Commission of Audit.”.
MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (5.17): It is interesting that it may become Mr Barr’s political epitaph that he has added to the economic lexicon of the Australian language the image of one million rum bars as a measure of economic activity. I actually would be curious as to what the economic output of a standard rum bar is. Is there a deviation and how does one work out—
Mr Wall: Perhaps it is a negative output figure.
MR SMYTH: Yes. Can they have a negative output figure? Is there an ABS statistic that backs him up on this?
Mr Barr: We have the Big Mac index and the iPod index; so Canberra can have the rum bar index.
MR SMYTH: There we go; we have the Big Mac index. We now have the Andrew Barr rum bar index of economic activity. I think that reflects probably more on you, minister, than it reflects on me.
Mr Barr: It is an alternative currency, isn’t it.
MR SMYTH: It is. It will become the Bitcoin of the ACT economy, the rum bar economy. It is interesting when Mr Barr is in trouble. He looks with that steely look at the Speaker’s desk and he does not interject. He certainly is more relaxed now; the interjections are coming across the chamber. He has delivered the slap. He starts with the insults because he has got to say something quick. But slow and old? Please, slow and old! You keep up if you can, Mr Barr.
It is interesting that after one of the budget breakfasts somebody said to me, “Andrew runs a good game. He talks a good game. But we all know that under that fake composure he is sweating like a gypsy with a mortgage.” If you want to call me old and slow, I will just quote back what some of the business community said about you. There he is, he is composed, he has got his set piece. Andrew has got this steely grin. Mick, he was looking you in the eyes as he delivered his economic lecture today, but underneath, to quote somebody from the business community, he is probably sweating like a gypsy with a mortgage.
And he should be, because what he has done is simply run out his same old cant. He does not answer any of the questions. Mr Rattenbury says, “He answered the questions.” I do not think the chamber is any wiser in respect of, for example, paragraph (2)(a)(iv). What are the savings initiatives? We asked for more detail. What are the savings initiatives? They are broken down into three categories.
Mr Barr: Page 14, yes.
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