Page 1410 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 11 May 1994
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As I have said, I expect the Commonwealth to conduct its business as efficiently as it possibly can in order to provide value for the Australian taxpayers' dollar. That is the same sort of process as we must go through in this Territory and as all governments are going through. If members had read their budget papers they would see that the greatest job losses which were announced yesterday in the budget are in repatriation hospitals, and we do not have one of those in the Territory. At least they have caught on to that. The loss of jobs in repatriation hospitals comes to a total of some 900, which far and away exceeds what Mrs Carnell is speaking of, and not one of those jobs will be lost in the Territory. You should be grateful for those sorts of figures.
Commonwealth Capital Works Projects
MR DE DOMENICO: Madam Speaker, my question without notice is to the Treasurer and relates to the same radio program this morning, when Ms Follett said:
The projects that have been committed here in Canberra are quite significant. They add up to well over $100 million.
Noting that the budget papers show capital works funding from the Commonwealth to be approximately $60m, what is the Treasurer's source for this claim? Is she relying on some other commitment from the Prime Minister that was not included in the budget papers available to the rest of us? If this additional funding does exist, will the Treasurer table the document containing the commitment?
MS FOLLETT: Madam Speaker, I would ask members to do their sums with me. If we look at the budget papers, there is $43m there, from memory, for the refurbishment of the defence offices at Russell. If you look at the refurbishment of the Administrative Building, there is $61m. If we look at the construction of the Department of Industrial Relations' new building, the commitment by the Commonwealth is some $12m. That is over $100m. These are first grade sums that you have not done. Madam Speaker, those additional construction expenditures by the Commonwealth will support jobs in this Territory. I find it extraordinary that members opposite are seeking to denigrate this kind of activity in the Territory.
Mr De Domenico: We are not denigrating at all. We are trying to find out the truth.
MADAM SPEAKER: Order!
MS FOLLETT: That kind of economic activity by the Commonwealth is very important to our economy. Madam Speaker, in speaking to the business people that I have met with today, they recognise that point. It is only the members opposite who do not, or who seek to belittle it.
Mr Berry: I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. There was a clear imputation from Mr De Domenico about the truthfulness of the Chief Minister's response. Mr De Domenico would not know the truth if he saw it, but I ask that you require him to withdraw that.
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