Page 490 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 19 March 2014
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
This government has a long-term vision for the city. Based on careful planning and investment, we are now embarking on the delivery of major and innovative infrastructure projects such as capital metro, city to the lake and our renewable energy projects. All of these will deliver on a vision and shape for a Canberra that people will be proud to live and work in well into the future.
MS BERRY (Ginninderra) (11.23): I rise to speak in support of Dr Bourke’s motion and to stand up for working people in the territory. With our city’s economy facing some uncertainty as we wait for the release of the Liberal government’s Commission of Audit report and the federal budget, the ACT government knows that we have to do what we can to maintain confidence in the economy and in our community. We cannot stop the commonwealth cuts but we can play a role in ensuring that we emerge out of this period as soon as possible and in a stronger position.
We will do what we can to stimulate the economy and to provide confidence for the residents of our community by implementing the growth, diversification and jobs strategy, developing and growing business opportunities to expand our economic base and grow local employment, promoting Canberra to the region, the nation and the world to attract tourism and business investment, growing our export capabilities including partnering with our universities to support their growth and international outreach, and producing major events for our city and managing significant sports and event infrastructure.
The ACT budget, as nine per cent of our economy, can respond to some federal cost saving, but not, as the Chief Minister has said, “to savage austerity”. The APS represents 34 per cent of the ACT workforce compared to the ACT public service figure of 11 per cent. We simply cannot absorb the cuts that are coming just by hiring more territory public servants. But we will do what we can to protect and grow jobs in the ACT, because that is what good Labor governments do.
The ACT government will facilitate employment both as an employer and as a driver of economic growth. We are committed to supporting sustained growth and development of our economy. We will work with all stakeholders in the region, in businesses, institutions and the wider community, to increase economic activity and opportunity.
We are also committed to ensuring that when jobs are created in the ACT they are good jobs. Jobs in construction, jobs in education and in health, jobs in innovation and technology: these are the jobs that we would like to see grown here in Canberra. This government is playing a role in the creation of these jobs by investing in the projects which we have already talked about this morning. I refer to projects like the city to the lake, the city plan, capital metro, the health infrastructure program, facilitating investments in renewable energy, and the Riverview development in west Belconnen.
This is an important thing to underline, because when I am out in the community talking to residents in west Belconnen, they tell me that they want to make sure that their kids and their loved ones have the best chance they can to obtain a well-paid, secure job.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video