Page 409 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 17 February 2015
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Ms Burch presented the following papers:
Subordinate legislation (including explanatory statements unless otherwise stated)
Legislation Act, pursuant to section 64—
Environment Protection Act—Environment Protection (Fees) Determination 2015 (No 1)—Disallowable Instrument DI2015-15 (LR, 5 February 2015).
Public Trustee Act—Public Trustee (Fees) Determination 2015 (No 1)—Disallowable Instrument DI2015-13 (LR, 2 February 2015).
Work Health and Safety Act—Work Health and Safety (Fees) Determination 2015 (No 1)—Disallowable Instrument DI2015-14 (LR, 4 February 2015).
Government—policy
Discussion of matter of public importance
MADAM ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Ms Lawder): Madam Speaker has received letters from Dr Bourke, Mr Coe, Mr Doszpot, Ms Fitzharris, Mr Hanson, Mrs Jones, Ms Lawder, Ms Porter, Mr Smyth and Mr Wall proposing that matters of public importance be submitted to the Assembly. In accordance with standing order 79, Madam Speaker has determined that the matter proposed by Mr Coe be submitted to the Assembly, namely:
The impact of ACT Government decisions on household budgets.
MR COE (Ginninderra) (3.42): It is a pleasure to stand in the Assembly today to discuss this matter of public importance. The opposition considers the impact of ACT government decisions on household budgets to be of paramount importance. The work that we do in this place and decisions that we make in this place have a real impact on the livelihoods of over 380,000 people who live in the territory. The decisions that we have to be particularly mindful of are decisions which impact the financial capacity of those citizens. I believe, as do all my colleagues, that we have an obligation to minimise the financial burden that we, as an Assembly or a government, place on the households of the ACT. In doing that, in minimising our burden, we are maximising the capacity of families, of households and of individuals. And if we can maximise the capacity of these people, we are, in effect, maximising their freedom and maximising their choice. It is with that in mind that the opposition truly believes that the impact of ACT government decisions on household budgets is indeed a matter of public importance.
I believe that for too long this government has not been focusing on the household budgets of Canberrans. For too long the Labor-Greens government has looked at very extravagant projects as a marker for policy success. Often it seems that expenditure is a KPI for this government—rather than outputs, rather than actual, tangible deliverables. It seems that the government is far more interested in spending money than in getting value for it. In reality, the government should see that boosting the household budget is a core task of government. Shamefully, this government has failed on that account.
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