Page 4056 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 26 November 2014
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This government is focusing on four key areas of investment: health, education, public transport and the resolution of the toxic legacy of Mr Fluffy asbestos. It is within these four key areas of investment that this government will continue to deliver what will undoubtedly benefit our community and continue to grow the ACT economy.
Keeping in mind the ACT is one of only two jurisdictions in Australia and only one of 26 worldwide that has maintained a constant AAA rating, let me use this opportunity to remind the Assembly of the great initiatives and economic stimulus measures this government has implemented and which have served to keep our economy strong. The ACT government has delivered a record investment of $1.4 billion in health and community care and $122 million in capital funding under the health infrastructure program. I congratulate the Chief Minister and the Treasurer for stepping in and funding the massive shortfall left after the careless cuts to health made by the Abbott government. This record investment will see much needed improvements to Calvary Hospital, including a four-year plan to deliver an additional 54 acute beds and an expansion of the lymphoedema, endoscopy and ophthalmology services. This government’s investment in health is so significant that the OECD rated health in the ACT 9.9 out of 10. Even those opposite, with their relentless attacks on our health system and all those who work in it, should admit this is a very good result.
Again, this government is investing record levels of funding in education by investing even more than last year in better schools and teachers. This funding will see the new CIT campus developed in Tuggeranong as well as a new school built in Coombs. This significant investment in education supports Canberra’s higher education sector, which is currently thriving, educating about 40,000 students and employing about 45,000 people in the region. Under this government the ACT continues to top the country in NAPLAN results, ranking first or equal first for grammar, punctuation and numeracy in all levels since 2009, and Canberrans are twice as likely to hold postgraduate qualifications as other Australians. We are truly an education territory.
Even under pressure from a pathetic commonwealth government, this government is not holding back on its vision to transform the ACT into a city with world-class infrastructure. The government is delivering on its vision by investing $375 million in capital infrastructure during 2014-15 and $2.5 billion over the next four years. This is the biggest spend by any ACT government, and the spending will include funding for the UC public hospital, capital metro light rail, city to the lake and new court facilities.
Even when we are faced with unforeseen challenges that impact our economy, the ACT government has made clear choices through its budget to support investment in the territory and to support job creation. During the past decade more than 35,000 new jobs were created in the ACT. That equates to almost 10 jobs per day for 10 years. The successful economic management by our Treasury and ACT directorates saw the ACT economy worth $34.4 billion in 2012-13, with our economy growing by almost $1 billion a year since 2000-01.
Mr Fluffy was a hard blow this year, yet this government remains strong and will deliver a resolution. Yes, the impact of Mr Fluffy will affect the ACT’s bottom line, but in finding a resolution to this toxic saga the important thing is that families are
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