Page 1210 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 30 May 2007

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Paragraph (1) (e) of the motion is again the truth. It says that whereas the federal government is lowering taxes for ordinary Australians—a fact, and they have done so again—in the last ACT budget taxes increased. That is true. Why would you want to delete that from this motion, unless you were embarrassed by the truth? Paragraph 1 (f) says that the ACT government continues to receive higher than forecast returns from the GST. Again, that is a fact. Why would you want to delete that fact unless it highlights your ineptitude and financial mismanagement in squandering the additional revenue of the tax reforms and the economic reforms that the federal government have put in place and you are embarrassed by that?

I would have thought that the Chief Minister would have liked paragraph (2), which says that the Assembly joins with the Chief Minister in welcoming the Howard government budget. Why wouldn’t you want us all on your side, Chief Minister? Why wouldn’t you want to send a message that we as a united Assembly, at least for once, agree with our Chief Minister? No, we cannot have that. It is snide. It is picky. We have to get rid of all these references.

And so it is with the rest of the motion. Paragraph (3) commends the Australian government on its commitment to sound fundamental economic policies. It is interesting that federal Labor says, “You are just riding on the back of the resources boom.” If a resources boom is going on and it is worldwide, why are other economies looking at our federal economy with envy and saying, “How are you doing that?” How is it that we have survived the collapse of HIH and Ansett, the Asian meltdown, SARS, and September 11? We have come through all those because of the sound financial practices of the federal government. (Time expired.)

MRS BURKE (Molonglo) (4.01): I will be speaking to the motion and to the amendment. I am very pleased to stand and speak to this motion today. The first thing I would have to say is that, as Mr Smyth was saying, the Chief Minister really does not want to acknowledge the federal government. It seems that we do have a very double-minded Chief Minister, because I am sure I heard the Chief Minister stand up and say at the federal budget breakfast I was at that it was a good budget for the ACT. It seems that today we have got somewhat of a backflip, that he wants to delete all the good stuff that he agreed with earlier as he just cannot bring himself to agree with it today, despite the very handsome spin-offs from the excellent management of the Australian economy by the Howard government.

I will read out the amendment, which is interesting. It “commends the ACT government for its commitment to responsible financial management that will ensure the sustainable delivery of high-quality services to the people of Canberra”. Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, I would put it to you and to members that it is about two very different things. Commitment is one thing and delivery is another. Saying is one thing and actually doing it is a totally different thing.

I move on to an article in the Canberra Times in relation to the Chief Minister’s comments about his forthcoming budget. It would seem to me that the Chief Minister is playing good cop/bad cop with himself. I quote from an article by Cathy Alexander entitled “No budget ogre this year, vows Stanhope”:


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