Page 1492 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 14 May 2014
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In today’s Canberra Times there was a budget lift-out which goes to winners and losers. The winners, defence; the losers, the sick with a $7 fee increase for GP visits and cuts to hospital funding. The winners, small to medium businesses; the losers, university students who face higher deregulated fees. The winners, construction firms; the losers, foreign aid, families, local councils, Indigenous people, pensioners, motorists, the ABC and the SBS, and the young unemployed.
Apprentices who are learning a fabulous skill are to lose tool payments. They will lose handouts of more than $5,000 to pay for tools. The government will save funding by pulling the plug on the tools for trades. The payments of $5,500 will be cancelled from 1 July. That is a devastating impact on young men and women in this city who are trying to get ahead. (Time expired.)
MR WALL (Brindabella) (4.14): My, oh, my, what a difference a year makes! I take members back 12 months to this day last year when there was a motion brought to this place by members of the opposition, the Canberra Liberals, in response to the Wayne Swan budget that was delivered on 14 May 2013. A quick check shows that Mr Smyth moved the motion. The Chief Minister, Ms Gallagher, spoke to it and Mr Hanson spoke to it. Mr Rattenbury made some comments and moved an amendment, and then Mr Smyth closed the debate.
The Hansard interestingly enough picks up that the Treasurer of the ACT, the Treasurer in charge of the territory’s budget was given the opportunity and was asked, “Are you going to speak, Andrew?” I think Hansard picks up Mr Barr responding, “I might” or something to that effect.
It is important to highlight that, regardless who is in charge up on the hill, whoever is in government in federal parliament, it is the Canberra Liberals that consistently time and time again stand up for Canberrans and Canberra families. Last year when there were 14,500 job cuts handed down in the Labor budget, Dr Bourke was silent on the issue. Ms Berry was silent on the issue. No-one saw Mr Gentleman or Ms Porter in the debate, nor Minister Burch, nor Minister Corbell. As I have already said, the Treasurer, Mr Barr, was also silent.
Madam Assistant Speaker, Canberrans can rest assured, regardless of who is making the decisions in the federal parliament, that the Canberra Liberals will consistently hold them to account and fight for what is in the best interests of all Canberrans.
MS PORTER (Ginninderra) (4.16): I will speak to the amendment and close the debate. I thank members for their contribution to the debate. Mr Smyth’s assertion that it is about time the ACT stood on its own two feet and stopped relying on the commonwealth is a bit rich given the statements he made this morning about needing to attract funds from the commonwealth for the new convention precinct.
He soundly berated the ACT government not working hard enough in his opinion to secure commonwealth assistance. Clearly Mr Smyth believes that without commonwealth assistance the project has not got legs. I would like to remind Mr Smyth that this government is investing in this city and doing the hard yards. It
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