Page 1226 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 24 March 2009
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We have put more money into education. Here is one that is strange to the opposition: we have paid reasonable wages to our staff. We did not factor one per cent into the budget for our nurses. We have actually factored in reasonable pay outcomes for public servants as part of our premium financial management of the territory’s budget.
Millions and millions of dollars have gone into child protection. There is no complaint about that from the opposition, I do not think. Millions have gone into disability services. That is waste, is it? Child protection is waste; disability is waste. What is it, good money after bad? Disability services, child protection, doubling health, that is all wasted public finances. I do not think so.
We have increased indexation to the community sector. Is that wasted too? I imagine anyone could go through and find little things that they object to—a $50,000 sign that they object to.
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Sit down, Mrs Dunne. I have just stopped the clock. I noticed that, while Mrs Dunne was speaking, she spoke without interruption for perhaps most of the time. There has been nothing but comment and interruption from the opposition benches since Ms Gallagher has had the floor. Ms Gallagher has the floor, in case you had not noticed, and she will continue to have the floor for the next nine minutes. I wish for you to be silent. Thank you.
MS GALLAGHER: Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I will assist by directing my comments through you.
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you.
MS GALLAGHER: This government is very proud of the record investments that we have made in education, in health, in addressing neglect in services to vulnerable members of our community. I challenge the opposition—and I do not think they can; they can give indications of $20,000 staff training that they object to and $1,000 tree guards—when you actually look at 95 per cent of the increases in expenditure and where it has gone, to state whether they object to it. Do they object to the hospital beds that are staffed hospital beds, teachers, police? We know what they think of the prison.
Mr Hanson: If you look at 95 per cent, it is okay.
MS GALLAGHER: Well, 95 per cent of the increased revenue is significant amounts of money and it has gone—
Mr Hanson: Five per cent wasted.
MS GALLAGHER: I am not saying that, Mr Hanson. I am going to ignore that. But it goes into areas that they never talk about. It is all very easy to talk about administration services, the Land Development Agency and things like that—the core attention grabbers for the opposition—but, when you look at what the ACT government delivers in terms of health, education, community safety, community
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