Page 4017 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 17 November 2015
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The policies that this government has put in place have supported that economic rebound, turning the economic corner for this city.
What we need is the federal Liberal government to stop cutting Canberra. That is what we need. Interestingly, we got that commitment from the former Prime Minister, Tony Abbott. It will be interesting to see whether the new Prime Minister is prepared to continue that commitment.
MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Ms Porter.
MS PORTER: Chief Minister, are there any risks to job growth in the ACT?
MR BARR: The biggest risk is the Liberal Party. That is very clear. It is the party of recession. They are about introducing sovereign risk into our infrastructure markets now. Even their job-hating colleagues up on the hill think that this mob are economic lunatics. Even the economic vandals on Capital Hill think that down here on City Hill we have the economic lunatics.
The best thing I can say about former Prime Minister Abbott was that he reached the conclusion that he would stop kicking Canberra. What we want to hear from—
Mr Hanson interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Order, Mr Hanson!
MR BARR: Prime Minister Turnbull is that there will be no more cuts to Canberra. So I have written to the Prime Minister and I am meeting with him next week. I will be seeking that reassurance, the same reassurance that Prime Minister Abbott was able to give after his destructive 2014 budget. Prime Minister Abbott was able to give that assurance. So we will be calling on the Prime Minister to do exactly the same in the lead up to the federal budget next year, because we have already heard that they are cutting 200 further jobs from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
That is disappointing for Canberra, disappointing for that department and I hope that it does not start a new round of public sector job cuts. But we do know that the Liberal Party has form on this; so we will be asking this question directly of the new Prime Minister.
Transport—planning
MR WALL: My question is to the Minister for Capital Metro. Minister, in 2012, as the Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development, you were responsible for the implementation of the transport for Canberra plan. In a recent report the ACT Auditor-General points out that reporting on the transport for Canberra plan was lax, ambiguous and inaccurate and, furthermore, a working group set up within your directorate did not meet as required and failed to properly oversee the implementation of the transport for Canberra plan. As a result, most of the targets set forth in the transport for Canberra plan were not met. Minister, given that capital metro has not released a construction update for 13 months, are we beginning to see the same problems which plagued transport for Canberra materialise with capital metro?
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