Page 640 - Week 02 - Thursday, 6 March 2008
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We have been through such cycles in the size of the commonwealth public sector before. The difference this time, under this Labor government, is that we are not sitting back moaning, wringing our hands and engaging in histrionics—actions the opposition count as standing up for Canberra, whining and gnashing their teeth. Indeed, these are the very things they admit they tried last time and which did not work. On 21 February this year, just a couple of weeks ago, on radio Liberal deputy leader Brendan Smyth ’fessed up, of course. He admitted that, while the then Chief Minister Kate Carnell had complained about the Howard government’s massive and crippling cuts to Canberra in 1996, it had not actually done anything; it had not worked.
But we are not moaning and we are not wringing our hands. We are doing something proactive; we are on the front foot. As I said yesterday, the good news is that the ACT has record low levels of unemployment at 2.3 per cent, with job vacancies outnumbering the number of people seeking work. This is yet another indicator of a strong economy, which ultimately enables young families to achieve their aspirations.
Another policy area where the government has led the nation has been in our response to housing affordability. Again in our response we have sought to respond to the needs not just of one sector but of all Canberrans for safe, affordable and appropriate housing. That includes young families, but it is not of course confined to young families.
The ACT government acted decisively last year to address this issue by releasing its affordable housing action plan. Let me provide the Assembly with some of the initiatives that the affordable housing action plan contains and which by their very nature support young families in the ACT. We have implemented an acceleration of the supply of affordable land to the market, with the residential release program increased by 1,000 blocks to a total of 3,200 dwelling sites, land sales at Dunlop and Franklin, the release of the Forde and Crace joint ventures, the release of en globo sites at Macgregor west and Casey, with future planning for Molonglo and north Weston underway.
The action plan also expands the eligibility criteria for the home buyer concession scheme from 1 July 2007. We have implemented the Revenue Legislation (Housing Affordability Initiatives) Amendment Act 2007. This amending legislation has a direct and positive impact on young families entering the housing market. It allows for a number of supporting initiatives, including conveyance duty deferral for first home buyers for up to five years; deferral until a certificate of occupancy has been issued and an exemption by Community Housing Canberra from the pain of duty and land tax.
In the chamber yesterday the Leader of the Opposition spoke of the implications of the efficiency cuts to national institutions. What he failed to acknowledge was why those efficiency cuts were necessary. Those efficiencies are being imposed to combat the Howard-Costello inflation legacy and the interest rate rises that are now deemed necessary in response to that legacy. Make no mistake: these interest rate rises are having a direct impact on young families—perhaps the greatest impact of anything
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