Page 3013 - Week 10 - Thursday, 15 September 1994
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Mr Kaine, you presumably have pride of authorship of the Opposition's counterbudget that was tabled here some weeks ago and that attempted to show a balance. He is the Opposition finance spokesperson and he is a person with some experience in these matters. But $31m was ripped out of the health system to pay for a range of promises. There were silly policy decisions and bad judgments; but, at least, it balanced in that - - -
Mrs Carnell: No; to pay for a balanced budget.
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Connolly, would you just sit down for a moment. I am not going to allow any further level of noise and level of interruption; it is sufficient. There has been 25 minutes of it. Mr Connolly deserves at least a few minutes in which he can answer in silence. Proceed, Mr Connolly.
MR CONNOLLY: Thank you, Madam Speaker. At least that document, silly as it was, balanced. What has happened now is that Mrs Carnell has just blown a $9m hole in your counterbudget, because the promise to give $9m to the industry is nowhere costed, is nowhere paid for. It is just another Mrs Carnell "off the top of the head" promise to a journalist, if she - - -
Mrs Carnell: It is what this says.
MR CONNOLLY: It is not. The $8m to $9m appears nowhere.
Mrs Carnell: It is.
MADAM SPEAKER: Mrs Carnell, you will have a further opportunity to ask questions tomorrow. Order!
MR CONNOLLY: Mrs Carnell, you keep digging yourself further into the hole. I would say to members opposite, "You really need to be very careful with your leader. You need some way of stopping her from making these silly promises to journalists, because she just continues to make you look silly". I think both Mrs Carnell and Mr Downer might attend the same "Be careful; do not put the foot in the mouth" school.
Health Services
MR STEFANIAK: My question without notice is directed to the Minister for Health. I refer the Minister to the case of a Canberra invalid pensioner who has three children. One of her daughters has cerebral palsy, and the son has attention deficit disorder. This woman receives a $28,000 disability pension, some family allowance for her seriously ill children and $35 a week for each child in the form of maintenance from her ex-husband. To enable her daughter, affected by cerebral palsy, to walk, she has to purchase certain equipment. All of that is means tested. Even on her limited disability income, she is not eligible for a price reduction. This means that she has to pay to travel to Sydney to purchase a splint there, which is some $200; and that is half the price of a splint in Canberra, which is $400. She has had to pay to travel to Sydney three times in
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