Page 1445 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 10 May 2006
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that loss and we had to make up for it. We would have loved to spend more on disability and child protection, and we did not ignore child protection. For a year, through your ministers, you were briefed about the need to do your job properly, and you ignored it.
Let us go to the area of emergency services. Mr Corbell is on his high horse. I do not remember a house ever being lost in the bushfire season when we were in office. In about 1998 Gary Humphries and I launched the strategic bushfire management plan, Mr Corbell. To top it off, we did buy new appliances. I can remember the launch of new appliances. But worse than that, on 24 December, Christmas Eve 2001, the territory got a wake-up call. We had a significant fire and things were stretched. But we won. We stopped the fire without losing a single house. For the next 13 months, Jon Stanhope and his government sat on their hands and did nothing to enhance—
Mr Stanhope: We tried to repair the damage that you did.
MR SMYTH: It tried to repair the damage! It finally revealed the Betts report that Bill Woods sat on! What was the name of that other report that they sat on? It was the Glenn report. We commission reports and you sit on them because that is what the Labor Party does.
This is a good motion. It notes the deterioration of the financial position of a territory and in paragraph 2 (a) it calls on the government to explain why it allowed expenditure to run unchecked without providing for a period of slower growth. When did you know? I know when you knew because we have letters from Mr Quinlan. Mr Quinlan knew on 21 November 2002, when he wrote to his colleagues and said:
I am, however, committed to ensuring that the value of our capital works program does not continue to increase.
Why? Mr Quinlan continued:
This is important as we do not have cash capacity in future years’ budgets to continue to fund large capital works programs.
They knew in 2002, and they neglected it.
MR SPEAKER: The member’s time has expired.
MR MULCAHY (Molonglo) (11.47): Mr Speaker, I want to speak to the amendment moved by Mr Stanhope.
Mr Stanhope: Are you not closing debate?
MR MULCAHY: No.
Mr Stanhope: We might have to move the gag then.
MR MULCAHY: I just want to speak to the amendment.
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