Page 2719 - Week 09 - Thursday, 25 August 1994
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
I have raised the question before and year after year the Chief Minister comes in and says, "Last year we saved all this money because we did not spend it". She made the same claim the year before last. She claims that this is good management. I claim that it is poor management. In the capital works area we are clearly talking about facilities that were expected by the community and were not delivered. I really do put a question mark around the fact that the Government asks us to appropriate $122,541,300 when I have no assurance whatsoever that all or any of it will be spent. Perhaps the Chief Minister, or Mr Lamont, if he would like to come back and put his money where his mouth was 15 minutes or 20 minutes ago, might give us an assurance that they are going to spend it for the purpose for which he is asking us to appropriate it.
MR DE DOMENICO (3.50): Madam Speaker, I also rise very briefly. Mr Kaine triggered this. When the Chief Minister or someone gets up to answer Mr Kaine's question, I also would like to know which sorts of projects may not be commenced or gone ahead with if there is going to be, as the Chief Minister says, another saving like last year's.
I rose because I noted that in a publication this week - I think it was the Tuggeranong Chronicle - Ms Ellis invited me to join with her to support the extension of Drakeford Drive in Tuggeranong. She said, "I think Mr De Domenico takes an interest in streets in the north of Canberra. I want him to join with me to make sure that we get this extension next year", or words to that effect. I say for the public record that I now join with Ms Ellis in putting as much pressure on this Government as possible. After all, Ms Ellis is a member of this Government, so one would think that she has greater access to her Ministers than I have. I make a point of saying, "Yes, Ms Ellis, I agree". This Government might use some of this unexpended public works money to make sure that that extension goes ahead in the Tuggeranong Valley. Like Mr Kaine, I would be very interested in seeing what the Chief Minister has to say in answer to the question.
MS FOLLETT (Chief Minister and Treasurer) (3.51): Madam Speaker, I would like to respond to some of the comments that have been made. Firstly, in reply to Mr Kaine's comments, the underexpenditure on the capital side from last year's budget was $30m, not $50m. The correct figure is $30m. That underexpenditure came about in a number of ways, many of which were beyond the Government's control. I find the Opposition's reaction and position very interesting. Apparently, they believe that we should have spent this money regardless of the purpose for which it was appropriated last year, and regardless of whether those purposes could be achieved.
Members will know that a great deal of the underexpenditure was due to the delays in the Magistrates Court complex and the hospice - delays which must be attributed to the National Capital Planning Authority. Delay also occurred, for instance, in the construction of the Australian International Hotel School. That delay will not delay the completion of the International Hotel School. The completion is on schedule. In fact, Madam Speaker, the hotel school will be taking its first students early next year. There was a delay also in the ACTION ticketing system, and again it was a delay that was beyond the Government's control. I find it extraordinary that members appear to think that we should have gone ahead and spent the money anyway, on something.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .