Page 1158 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 3 April 1990
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
increased expenditure, at least on education? Where is Mr Duby's impassioned call last year for an expansionary budget achieved by borrowing an extra $100m or so? Last year's rhetoric by the Liberals' junior partners has been silenced without a struggle, and I notice that neither Mr Collaery nor Mr Duby is here in the chamber today.
Mr Speaker, it is quite clear that with continuing tight Commonwealth financial policies the ACT is facing a difficult financial time. It was my realisation that we face these difficult decisions which convinced me of the need for the people of Canberra to have a say. It is a major reason why I supported not only self-government, but also open, accountable self-government. I believe that the people of Canberra should have a say in the decisions which affect them.
This is apparently not the view of the Chief Minister and his look-alike partners. They have entered politics simply to exercise power, not to work for the people. What consultative processes are mentioned in the budget strategy statement? There are none. The word consultation is mentioned only once, and then in the context of consultation on the implementation of the Government's predetermined plan. The closest thing this Government has come to consultation is the establishment of the Priorities Review Board. This is consultation the Alliance Government way - a few business mates behind closed doors.
Mr Speaker, setting Government priorities cannot be done solely within an accounting framework. Government is about people. It is about reflecting the wishes of the people. But how can you expect a group of people who so poorly reflect the make-up of our community to reflect that community's views? The Kaine approach is simply an exercise of conservative paternalism. The bosses know best.
The only other outside influence in this Government's budget process is the Grants Commission, whose findings are being used selectively to support conservative ideology. On those rare occasions when we do hear the word consultation spoken by this Government, it does not mean involvement in decision-making, but consultation on the implementation of decisions passed down from on high. Consultation only on the implementation of government decisions and not on the decisions themselves is a cop-out - a cop-out by a Government which has lost touch with the people.
The budget statement made by Mr Kaine talks about the need for cooperation from all sectors of the community. But how can you expect cooperation when there is no involvement? The Kaine budget process is a recipe for confrontation.
Mr Speaker, last year in the run up to the election, I adopted a revolutionary approach to budget development. This process involved the release of detailed budget
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .