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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 1 Hansard (11 December) . . Page.. 78 ..


MR WOOD (continuing):

Quarterly performance reports

September 2001 Outputs Progress Report-Portfolio-Minister for Urban Services-Schedules 2 and 2.1

Performance Report September Quarter 2001-2001-Department of Health, Housing and Community Care

First Quarter 2001-2002 Output Report-Department of Justice and Community Safety

Labor government's commitments

Ministerial statement

MR STANHOPE

(Chief Minister, Attorney-General, Minister for Health, Minister for Community Affairs and Minister for Women) (3.37): Mr Speaker, I ask for leave of the Assembly to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

MR STANHOPE: When Labor went to the October election, our platform was clearly articulated and, as the result of the poll shows, clearly understood. The basis of Labor's campaign platform, and the basis of the program we intend to put in place to deliver that platform, is our recognition that we share the same core values as the Canberra community: our belief in the essential egalitarianism of our community-an egalitarianism that demands political equality, legal equality, social equality and, above all, equality of opportunity.

We understand the primary concerns of Canberrans. We know that they want to see excellence in health and education, and the protection of those special characteristics that make Canberra unique in its dual role as the national capital and our home.

A key element of the platform that we took to the election was its detailed costing. Labor was rigorous and honest in costing what we promised, based on the best information to hand-that supplied by the then government. We intend to put a program in place as promptly as we can to deliver the commitments we made. That timetable will depend in part on the state of the books. What is really in the cupboard? That will be revealed by the audit process my colleague Ted Quinlan has put in place.

One thing is certain: my government's commitments will be delivered by accountable government that is conducted in the most open manner possible. As the first step, my ministerial colleagues and I will outline this week the immediate actions in our key priority areas.

Labor set out its code of good government during the election campaign. We will achieve good government for the ACT by living our values, values we share with the community. The government has already taken steps to implement the code. Planning has started for a comprehensive involvement of the community in the budget process. The cabinet handbook is being redrafted and procedures are being put in place to ensure that it is rigorously followed. The government has proposed in these sittings a new


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