Page 1915 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 3 June 2015
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There are a range of other great programs that you will hear about in this budget, tackling issues both large and small. There are programs to overcome disadvantage, programs to invest in our children’s future, programs to invest in our city’s livability and initiatives to enrich and inspire our community.
Government is about making choices, being able to keep many balls in the air at the same time and balancing a whole range of competing needs. I pay tribute to all those who have played a part in crafting this budget, a responsible budget of Labor values, meeting the needs of our suburban community and facing up to the challenges we face even as the federal Liberal government pulls away support in an arbitrary fashion.
Belconnen is in great shape but there is more to do. There is a small plaque in the Aranda playing fields marking Aranda as the first suburban development in the Belconnen district. It reads:
This tablet marks the inauguration of development of the district of Belconnen by the Minister of State for the Interior The Honourable J. D. Anthony, M.P. 23 June 1966.
I look forward to celebrating the 50th birthday of Belconnen in just over a year.
This motion calls on the ACT government to continue its good work providing high quality health and education services, renewing our suburbs and town centres, ensuring that Canberra’s renewal and growth is inclusive, and supporting the increasingly diverse ACT community with sound and productive investment. I commend the motion and the budget to the Assembly.
MR BARR (Molonglo—Deputy Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Housing and Minister for Tourism and Events) (10.20): It is with great pleasure that I rise to speak in support of Dr Bourke’s motion. This government, through the budget I delivered yesterday, is ensuring that Canberra remains the most liveable city in the world. As I said in this place yesterday, my highest priority, and that of the government, is to make sure that our economy grows and creates the jobs and opportunities that Canberrans need to reach their full potential. A growing economy means that the government can deliver the services Canberrans depend on and maintain the Canberra way of life that we are all so proud of.
This budget delivers, Madam Speaker. It delivers growth, it delivers jobs, it delivers confidence, and it delivers the services and infrastructure Canberra needs. It is also responsible. It actively and responsibly addresses the series of shocks that have hit our city over the past 18 months, and the success of the government’s approach is evident. This budget maintains the government’s record support for essential health services, despite hundreds of millions of dollars being ripped out of the system by the federal Liberal government.
The budget delivers jobs and fosters diversification of our economy in response to the federal Liberal government casually ripping out 5,500 jobs from the ACT economy. It responds to the Mr Fluffy crisis, ending the legacy of loose-fill asbestos once and for all, whilst making sure that those people affected are put first.
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