Page 4340 - Week 13 - Thursday, 4 December 2014
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that we will concentrate on the people who do want to participate in the scheme in the first instance before we move to those who do not. I went through all of that. I strongly reject the allegation that the government are trying to threaten people. We have absolutely gone out of our way not to do that.
The government have also been accused by the opposition today of having our priorities wrong. The government have made very clear from the minute we accepted financial responsibility for this program that we had four priorities: the asbestos eradication program, health, education and public transport. Just because we have to deal with a difficult situation for a thousand homes does not mean there are any fewer cars on the road; it does not mean we do not have to build new hospitals; it does not mean we do not have to build more roads; it does not mean we do not have to put on extra ACTION buses. We have to do all of those things. And that is the point: you cannot have one priority when you are in government, because there are too many priorities. There are too many demands.
We need to build schools. People will still have babies; we need to make sure hospitals are ready to deal with them. Extra cars will be bought. The population will grow. All of these things have to be managed over the next five years. You cannot just say that if we do not give everybody exactly what is going to work for them then that is not us prioritising this. We have prioritised it. It has been my number one issue all year, and it will remain the government’s priority as we move through it. The task force will work with people individually to see what works for them.
The banks are coming on board. The Commonwealth Bank has just announced $10,000 for every Fluffy home owner as a special assistance payment to get them through difficult times. We are seeing everything we wanted to see happen start to happen. But the government also has to govern for everybody and make sure we are able to do all of the things the government wants to do. To accept the recommendations in full from the public accounts committee would mean we could not afford the scheme at all, and then where would we be, without any help from the commonwealth?
MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo) (11.53): I rise today to speak to the amendment moved by Mr Hanson and to the amendment foreshadowed by Ms Gallagher that I think she will also move at some point in the debate today. I will actually be supporting both amendments. I think the amendment that Mr Hanson has brought forward captures the principles that have certainly been in my mind. They have been in the mind of the ministers when this matter has been discussed in cabinet and they have been on the task force’s mind.
That they come from the task force’s document underlines that fact. But I think it is useful to articulate them in this place, to be transparent about them and to put them into the legislative record as well as being part of the documents of the task force. On that basis, I think it is quite worth while to bring these words to the Assembly today.
Of course, Mr Hanson has added to the words of the task force and put a particular filter on them today. He has then sought to suggest that those on this side of
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