Page 4084 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 26 November 2014
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Economy—performance
Debate resumed.
MR BARR (Molonglo—Deputy Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Housing and Minister for Tourism and Events) (3.42): Madam Speaker, it is a great pleasure to speak on Ms Porter’s motion today. I always enjoy debating the ACT economy and how the ACT Labor government is responding to the destructive decisions of the federal Liberals and the destructive rhetoric of the Canberra Liberals. As Ms Porter’s motion notes, there is a great deal of underlying strength in the ACT economy. On average, Canberrans are the healthiest, wealthiest, most active and best educated Australians. Our city’s long-term prospects are very bright. Our population is young and growing. We are diversifying and becoming more creative and more entrepreneurial every week, and this motion notes that the government is supporting that economic, cultural, social and jobs growth.
I have spoken in this place before, many times, about the measures the Gallagher government is taking, and this motion makes clear just some of the government’s decisions, such as our four-year $2.5 billion infrastructure program to provide important facilities and services and boost growth, reinforcing the progressive tax reform agenda this government is pursuing and our targeted support for the private sector and a range of key industry sectors in the ACT.
We are committed to focusing on four key priorities. Three of these priorities we took to the 2012 territory election at which the territory community voted to continue an ACT Labor government. These are health, education and public transport, most notably our commitment to deliver the capital metro project. The fourth priority, as I outlined in question time, is asbestos remediation and ending the toxic Mr Fluffy legacy. This is a new challenge we face but one that we must stare down.
Through the Chief Minister’s leadership, this government has made a clear decision and a clear choice: we will resolve the Mr Fluffy issue once and for all for this generation and the next. That is what leadership is about. That is what hard choices are about. That is what Chief Minister Gallagher is about: priorities, choices, leadership, health, education, public transport and cleaning up the Mr Fluffy mess.
Governments have to do many things and we have priorities to help choose them. We are delivering on our priorities and we are delivering upon the important services our community deserves and our community expects. But let me be clear: we can deal with Mr Fluffy and have a great health system. We can build light rail and have great schools. Other priorities, such as parts of the city to the lake project, are being delayed somewhat, but they will still happen. We are committed to our four-year $2.5 billion infrastructure program.
The commonwealth remains a key part of the territory economy and, as such, when the Australian public service is cut there are no two ways about it: it has a significant impact on our local economy. To look at just a few statistics, let us compare things pre and post the election of the Abbott government. Between September 2013 and
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