Page 2205 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 3 August 2016
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The point is that we manage budgets to enable us to deliver services so that we can then invest long term in what it is we need to do. Mr Barr talks of the surplus, but I remind you that he has never delivered a surplus. They promised one in 2011; they said there would be a surplus in 2014—not true. In 2012 they promised a surplus in 2015—not true. In 2013 they promised a surplus in 2015—not true. In 2014 they promised a surplus in 2017—abandoned. In 2015 they promised a surplus in 2018—abandoned. Now the latest promise has been ridiculed by the former Treasury director saying it is miraculous and unbelievable.
Regardless of the state of the budget, not spending $1.78 billion over the next 20 years will enable the Canberra Liberals, if we form government, to invest much more into health, education and better local services and make sure we are not tripling rates in the meantime. We are very proud of our policy announcements. We have been engaging with the community over a long period doing the hard work that an opposition needs to do, and we are very proud of what we have announced.
A lot of our money will go to support better roads, better infrastructure, better public transport, and education. I find it shocking in some regard that this Labor Party would criticise the Liberals for having said we are going to invest in education and public transport, that we are going to restore money that was ripped out from police. Why are they criticising us for announcing the sorts of policies that you would expect a Labor Party to deliver on; a Labor Party that was not driven by an obsession with a tram which had its origins in politics—in negotiating a deal with the Greens—and not in what is best for public transport.
I think everybody knows the very sad story of what happened in the lead-up to the 2012 election. This government promised to invest money to rebuild the Canberra Hospital and put $41 million into the 2011 budget to do that. Then it got to the other side of the election where they did and said and were prepared to do anything to secure power with Mr Rattenbury. They have now ripped money out of the redevelopment of the Canberra Hospital and are spending, nominal cost, $1.78 billion on a tram that is the wrong transport option for Canberra.
If the government were investing in things that we supported and we thought were right for Canberra—health, education, better local services, reducing the cost of living for Canberrans—we would be delighted to support them. But this is the wrong option and, over the longer term it is a very bad decision for Canberra.
We will not be supporting Mr Hinder’s motion. Firstly, on a number of levels it is factually just wrong. It is built on this straw man that Mr Barr is going to at some stage deliver a surplus. I have been in this Assembly a lot longer than Mr Hinder and I have heard Mr Barr promise surpluses for the past five or six years since he has been Treasurer. I have been here long enough to know that he never does and while this government pursues this reckless policy of spending billions of dollars on trams, they never will.
MR BARR (Molonglo—Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Tourism and Events and Minister for Urban Renewal) (11.58): I thank Mr Hinder for bringing forward this motion this morning. I
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