Page 960 - Week 03 - Thursday, 10 March 2016
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MR BARR: Thank you, Madam Speaker. This reflects the sensitivity that we see from the Leader of the Opposition on this point. The other Liberal leaders at a state and territory level recognise what this means for state and territory budgets, what this means for their local communities. Their position is to want to fight for their communities and their share of health and education funding, but the reflex instinct of the Canberra Liberals is to fall in behind Tony Abbott. That is what we have seen—
MADAM SPEAKER: Again I ask you to refer to members of parliament by their appropriate titles.
MR BARR: Fall in behind the former Prime Minister, Tony Abbott.
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Abbott; “Tony” is not a title.
MR BARR: The former Prime Minister Mr Abbott, the member for Warringah.
MADAM SPEAKER: Good; you got it right.
MR BARR: Fall in behind—(Time expired.)
Members interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: I think Ms Burch is on her feet to ask a supplementary. I would like to hear Ms Burch’s supplementary question.
MS BURCH: Chief Minister, can you outline the action that you and the government are taking to stand up for Canberra’s education and health systems? Are there alternative proposals, and what will be the impact of these cuts on our families and children?
MR BARR: Yes, we continue to raise these concerns directly. We did so with the former Prime Minister; we do so with the current Prime Minister. We were to be having a Treasurers’ meeting tonight and tomorrow. That has been cancelled and bounced some time into the future, to what appears to be a yet uncertain federal budget date at this point, so fluid are arrangements at the federal level at this time. We, together with the other states and territories, will continue to advocate for a long-term funding solution for health and education because it matters for our community. They are our hospitals and our schools that are being cut by the decisions of the Liberal Party.
There are a range of promising proposals that are being put forward, including the “your child, our future” policy that the federal opposition has released, and it would mean that students in the ACT would benefit from an extra $30 million in targeted federal investment if that policy option was adopted.
Ms Burch: A point of order.
MADAM SPEAKER: A point of order.
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