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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 2 Hansard (9 March) . . Page.. 440 ..

MR QUINLAN (continuing):

Is the picture becoming clear? When we are in government, feel free to remind us of our responsibilities; but, until that happy day, let me remind you that our primary role here is scrutiny and holding the Government accountable in this small, unicameral parliament.

Today's debate or discussion is ostensibly predicated on the need for more ideas for Mrs Carnell. After four budgets the Chief Minister has taken this initiative. If you put yourself in our place, take a moment to imagine your response and the response of your bevy of press release novelists. We would hear statements like: "The Government is devoid of ideas", "The ALP Government seeks our help", "Bankruptcy of ideas to be followed by actual bankruptcy". They are probably the kind ones that would flow.

I turn now to the Government's record so far. Along the way, how did we get to today's discussion? What is different about this year's budget preparation, given that we have already had four? I am reminded of that Irish joke of the gentleman asking for directions to Dublin. He was given the answer: "If I was goin' to Dublin I wouldn't be startin' here". So we may as well investigate how come the Government is here now. This Government came to power in 1995. The first commitment they made to the ACT people was to bring about better management and to create a can-do culture. In fact, the Treasurer at the time said:

Whatever government is elected in just over two years' time, this budget strategy will ensure that it inherits a strong financial position. If that does not happen to be a Liberal government, we on this side of the Assembly will walk away in the knowledge that we changed Canberra from a city that always kept looking over its shoulder and avoiding hard decisions to a city that looked to the future.

That was year 1 of the Carnell Government, and I suppose we can put it down to youthful enthusiasm.

Moving on to year 2, the Treasurer of the day reminded us that Canberra's financial position was, first of all, not her fault, and things were so bad that it was not time for a tough budget but rather for a budget for tough times to be produced. The slogan was: "Jobs for Canberra". The Chief Minister told us:

I have made it clear from the day I became Chief Minister that my Government and I are here to do a job, and that is not just to get re-elected in three years' time ... That job is to put Canberra's finances back on track, to make the hard decisions that have been avoided since self-government, and to manage better the services that are provided.

Rolling on to budget No. 3, we would have expected the Government to formulate a budget based on prior tough decisions. We would have expected that the better management was now kicking in. We would have expected that the can-do culture had begun to turn around the worsening economy. The operating loss was improving, but there were significant paper transactions to help that course - a triennial review of superannuation liabilities and borrowings revalued downwards. Creativity was flowing

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