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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 3 Hansard (27 May) . . Page.. 658 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

people who want to apply for a job in the Department of Education and who need to have criminal record checks conducted. If you look at all those issues, Mr Deputy Speaker, you could be forgiven for seeing that there has been a focus on the small picture, whereas Mr Osborne's motion today, rather dramatically, focuses our attention back on the big picture - indeed, the biggest picture that we might focus on.

When I say "we", I am using a very defined version of the word "we". Obviously, I am referring principally to the Government and the crossbenches, which are both well represented in the chamber in this debate. With respect to the Opposition benches, Mr Deputy Speaker, you are the sole representative of that party in the chamber today in the course of this debate. I am sure you will interject if I happen to say something which is wrong or is contemptuous of your party's - - - (Quorum formed) Mr Deputy Speaker, I am pleased to see members of the Opposition benches joining us for this rather important debate.

Mr Corbell: We have spoken on it.

MR HUMPHRIES: Indeed you have, Mr Corbell, and now that you are here you can speak again, no doubt, even while I am supposed to be speaking. Mr Deputy Speaker, I happen to think this is the most important debate we have held in this fortnight of sittings. I happen to think it is also the most significant issue that we are likely to be able to debate for quite some time. That is why virtually all members of the Government are present in the chamber for this debate. I am glad to see that members of the Opposition are also here, because there is a very important question to put. We have to make an assessment of how we, as a government and as an Assembly, are going to confront the massive problem that we face in bringing that $150m down to something that is much more reasonable.

Mr Osborne made the very good point, in the course of his remarks, that to a real extent the easy decisions are past and the hard yards are in front of us. That is true, Mr Deputy Speaker. Some of the reduction from $350m to $150m-odd which we have achieved in the course of the last couple of years has been as a result of accounting exercises. Some has been due to judicious decisions by the Government to reduce the level of burden that we as a government shoulder through a range of measures. Some of those have had a bit of pain associated with them. But in each case we have made those decisions. The first $200m has been relatively easy compared with the next $150m. But, Mr Deputy Speaker, we have to confront that $150m.

I have two small children and 20 years from now, when they are in their adulthood, raising their own families and attempting to make their way in the world, with a certain number of services available to them from the government and the community, and with a certain range of obligations on them with a certain level of taxation, I do not want them to be paying for not only their own costs and the costs of their families but also my costs and those of my contemporaries which we have not taken the trouble to pick up while we have been in charge of this community. I do not want that to happen, and I would be surprised if there was any person in this place who would wish such a burden to be visited on their descendants.

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