Page 1727 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 3 May 2005
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Mr Speaker, the government will continue to develop the financial management framework to incorporate triple bottom line principles. The performance indicators presented in this budget will form the basis for the development of cross-agency performance indicators and linkages to planning and reporting frameworks.
Conclusion
Through this budget, targeted and responsible funding is provided to address areas of high priority. This government has increased health expenditure by $16 million across four years and allocated $56 million across four years from the growth funds and from reprioritised expenditure.
This government has increased expenditure in education by $15 million across four years, with a further $2 million per annum for school building renewal. This government has increased expenditure in child protection and family support by $50 million over four years.
The government is delivering a responsible budget. Sound financial management is necessary to preserve our future capacity to deliver priority services to the ACT community, particularly in areas such as health, child and family support, and disabilities.
This budget includes saving measures from improving the efficiency of government agencies and increases in revenue. There are no new general government borrowings: the projected deficit for 2005-06 can be funded from cash accumulated from previous budget surpluses. And this government still achieves our policy of a budget surplus over the economic cycle.
Mr Speaker, I commend this budget to the Assembly.
Debate (on motion by Mr Smyth) adjourned to the next sitting.
Rates Amendment Bill 2005
Mr Quinlan, pursuant to notice, presented the bill, its explanatory statement and a Human Rights Act compatibility statement.
Title read by Clerk.
MR QUINLAN (Molonglo—Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development and Business, Minister for Tourism, Minister for Sport and Recreation, and Minister for Racing and Gaming) (3.42): I move:
That this bill be agreed to in principle.
MR QUINLAN: The Rates Amendment Bill 2005 amends the Rates Act 2004. The amendments to the Rates Act bring the calculation of rates liability on rural land into line with the method used to calculate the rates liability on residential and commercial land. This is achieved by introducing a fixed charge component into the formula used to
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