Page 420 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 27 June 1989
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employment. Canberra trends are giving us particular difficulties. So it is not a bad idea to have the debate now and to focus on the difficulties that we face rather than to focus on all the nice little bits and pieces of shopping that we might want to do.
I conclude by saying that we should be responsible about what we say in this debate and in the broader community. Let us accept the need, in a short time, for the Government and for this Assembly to make hard decisions, but let us also be optimistic about what we can do in this Territory. The future, nevertheless, is great and I am sure we can do a great deal for the Territory in our leadership in this Assembly.
MR JENSEN (3.54): Mr Speaker, as already indicated by my colleague Mr Collaery, the Residents Rally clearly will be fully supporting the Government's Supply Bill, so my remarks really will be brief and relate to a few specific points. I note the comments by Mr Kaine about my colleague's reference to the fact that the Rally really was only taking an opportunity to seek to provide some indication to the Government as to where it would get support from the Rally in setting its budget agenda.
The Rally was seeking to ensure that the Government and the people were quite clear as to where we considered the Government emphasis should be placed. While we accept that it is up to the Chief Minister and her Government to decide priorities, at least they would be aware of where they would receive support from the Rally.
Like Mr Kaine, the Rally also calls on the Government to ensure that there is a relationship between the documentation, and I refer specifically to the forward estimates and the Supply Bills, to make sure that we are able to understand the documents that are put before us. It was with some difficulty, I might add, that the Rally sought to relate the two documents, and we thank the officers of the Treasury who were happy to assist the Rally in seeking to make more sense of those particular documents and relate them to the issues at hand.
Like Mr Kaine, we look forward to the next year's allocations, when I am sure the figures will be much easier to comprehend not only for the members of the Assembly but for the people who are keen to understand where their rates and taxes are to go. This also applies to business and industry, which need some indications as to where the cuts are likely to be made or where moneys will be allocated over and above existing facilities. That will enable them, Mr Speaker, to plan much more clearly and appropriately for the future.
I support the comments by Mr Wood about the historic importance of the Bill which we are now debating. I am particularly pleased to see that at long last we are in the process of making our own decisions on funding. However,
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