Page 1895 - Week 06 - Thursday, 5 May 2005
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by the Greens of neglecting the environment. Its support base is fast evaporating! And I see that a release issued today by Mr Daryl Smeaton, Chair of the Catholic Education Commission, has expressed serious concern over this government’s failure to address the priority needs of all students with disabilities. It says:
The government has committed an additional $4.2 million over four years for students with disabilities in government schools but nothing for similar students in non-government schools.
This was a core election promise of the Stanhope government, and we are distressed that our students with disabilities are again casualties of broken promises. They already face major difficulties in their lives—the Government’s failure to support them adequately is very disappointing,” Mr Smeaton said.
And don’t we all remember—it was not very long ago—when we were out there at Garran listening to the minister for education, Ms Gallagher, tell us that Catholic parents should not be concerned, that this government would look after them? But that promise has not lasted 12 months. They have been wiped and, tragically for the families who have got disabled children attending those non-government schools, they do not rate.
The underlying problem, of course, which this budget is reflecting, is that the government has not been able to discipline itself when it comes to spending other people’s money. The Labor Party will not like it, but I will continue to hammer home to the people of Canberra why the government cannot be trusted with their money. Instead of putting money aside during the good times when economic activity cools off, the government has been on a massive spending binge. That is the Labor way; it is simply incapable of providing for the future.
I have said it over the last few days and Mr Smyth has made it known today, but let us keep reminding ourselves what the performance has been. Expenditure blew out by $166 million in 2001-02, it blew out by a further $153 million in 2002-03—and the government, still not having learnt from the errors of its management style, blew the budget in 2003-04 by $285 million. You do not have to be terribly clever with the numbers to see that over the past four years Labor has spent some $688 million more than it budgeted for. An average of $172 million per annum has been the mismanagement figure, caused by overspending, spending vastly more than it had budgeted for. For that reason I place little weight on the projections that were contained in the budget presented this week. Based on Labor’s track record, we can therefore expect government expenditure probably to exceed the amount budgeted by at least $150 million, and that will certainly make a mockery of the Treasurer’s $91 million planned operating loss for 2005-06.
One example illustrates quite clearly why these targets will not be met. It was only two days ago that the Treasurer said in his budget speech that health costs escalate seven to eight per cent each year—he said to this Assembly that this is an accepted norm in terms of health costs—but his own budget only allows for an increase of around four per cent a year. Just that error alone—and there are others within this budget—would cause a cost blow-out of about $28 million. So, before we even get under way, before we even vote on this particular measure, we find that the operating loss is already looking like $120 million.
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