Page 1455 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 4 May 2016
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Civil servants in this city can continue to expect more pay cuts from the Turnbull Liberal government and no commitment to resolving ongoing industrial disputes with the public service departments. But this debate is not just about the direct impact on public service workers. Fifty-five per cent of Canberran businesses rely on the spending power of the public servants in this city to keep them afloat and make a profit. When the Liberals cut jobs, they are cutting customers and cash flow for Canberra’s small businesses.
As someone with 30 years experience in small business, I know firsthand the crippling effect of government cuts to small business confidence and ultimately to the health of Canberra’s economy. While I support small businesses and welcome the announcement by the shadow treasurer, Chris Bowen, that the Labor Party will support cutting small business taxes, the fact is that if businesses in Canberra have no customers they will not find a tax cut all that useful. Businesses without customers employ no-one and pay no tax. That is why it is so important that we continue to drive demand in Canberra via a strong public service and commitment to growth throughout the territory.
I lived through the Howard years and saw just how much time it took for Canberra to recover from the Liberal government’s ideologically driven cuts to public services. We saw a re-run of these cuts in 2013 when the Abbott government took a sledgehammer to Canberra’s economy. It took almost two years for our city to recover.
One of the most disturbing aspects of last night’s federal budget is the massive gap between its rhetoric and reality. The budget claims to be an economic plan for job growth. In reality, it is a plan to cut jobs and small business confidence. It is also a plan to continue cuts to the core government services of health and education and concessions to pensioners and seniors.
One of my fears is that Canberra can expect a similar approach if those opposite ever get their hands on the territory budget. The approach this Labor government is taking is in stark contrast to that of the Liberal Party. It is only due to successive ACT Labor governments’ commitment to growth and jobs in new industries and businesses in Canberra that we have weathered the Abbott-Turnbull cuts and become one of the best-performing economies in the country.
Once again, all this is put at risk by another federal Liberal budget that seeks a further efficiency dividend in the upcoming years. Rest assured, Madam Speaker, that when this city goes through economic turbulence we in the government roll up our sleeves and start doing the job of diversifying our economy, generating more jobs and greater prosperity for the people of this city.
We will always defend the need for a strong public sector and access to quality public services in health, education and transport as a means of ensuring that Canberrans live a happy, fulfilling life here in Australia’s most livable city.
The fact that the defining purpose of this Barr Labor government is to ensure a prosperous economy gives us the ability to help those who need a hand up. We do
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