Page 1977 - Week 06 - Thursday, 8 June 2006
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It would be interesting, and we will do it just out of passing interest when the Hansard is distributed, to assess—and I think Hansard records these matters—the length of time devoted by the Leader of the Opposition, let us say, to health, which is the single most important item within the budget, the largest spend, of over three-quarters of a billion dollars. The amount of $751 million is sought to be appropriated for the delivery of health. By our reckoning, the Leader of the Opposition, on the most significant issue of concern to the people of Canberra, to which this government proposes to devote $750 million, occupied, we believe, one minute and 15 seconds of his time.
One minute and 15 seconds was devoted by the Liberal Party’s new leader to a discussion on the appropriation bill in relation to $750 million worth of spend on health. The single biggest spend, the single most important item of expenditure, the single most important area of policy and government service delivery, is worth a minute.
We move then to an analysis—and the Hansard of course will reveal this as well—of the efforts devoted to the Liberal Party’s vision for education. It is the second largest area of anticipated expenditure—over $700 million in its own right. What was the vision presented by the Liberal Party for the government’s school sector within the territory? What did the leader of the Liberal Party have to say about education? What was his answer to the issues facing the territory in the delivery of first-class education to the children of the ACT? What were his proposals for assuring those children that attend government schools and depend on government? What was the vision presented?
One of the two pages was devoted to the listing of the names of schools. Where was the vision about the reform and the way to take forward an education system desperately in need of vision and leadership? There was none, because there is none. That is the point, and that is the difference.
In five years, but for a little spurt prior to the last election, this opposition, that has now been in opposition for five years, has presented no alternative view, vision, plan or proposal—absolutely none. It is an opposition devoid of leadership. It is rudderless. We have just got a new leader, of course, but it is a leadership—
Mr Mulcahy: You are not too happy across there with the public service.
MR STANHOPE: Dream on Mr Mulcahy, dream on.
Opposition members interjecting—
MR STANHOPE: It is a leadership with no vision and, I guess perhaps most worryingly, absolutely no capacity. The record will show this, but I have no doubt that the reports—at least I hope they are—of the Leader of the Opposition’s reply are detailed. Perhaps it would be instructive if the Canberra Times—and I must say I hope they do—publish as much as they can of the Leader of the Opposition’s speech for the people of Canberra to see what the alternative government believes are the answers to the issues which the territory faces across the spectrum of government service delivery that would be educative.
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