Page 1421 - Week 04 - Thursday, 26 March 2009
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ACT. It is one small part. There is a whole range of issues at play here and the Assembly has committed to do a whole range of work on one element of it. I have agreed to pull together the work that I have been doing over the past year and put that under a task force, because there is a genuine level of community concern that we need to address. The task force is being charged with completing the work that is already underway in ACT Health; with looking at the health reform agenda between the commonwealth and the states—and if the opposition would stop laughing at their own jokes they might realise that there is a complete national health reform agenda underway—so use the opportunities that may exist there; use the work that is being done on a national primary healthcare strategy, pick up some of that work; look at whether there are legislative responses that can be done in terms of our own legislation; and pull it all together.
Opposition members interjecting—
MS GALLAGHER: If someone had listened carefully to what I was saying yesterday, if Mr Hanson had listened carefully, he may have cottoned on to what was going to be in the papers this morning, because what I was describing in that speech, and what Mr Hanson did not understand, is exactly what the task force is about.
I would hope that the opposition would see this as a very worthwhile piece of work and I would hope that they would get behind it, get involved in it—dare I say, provide a submission to it, maybe. We live in hope of some constructive—
Opposition members interjecting—
MS GALLAGHER: Maybe on pieces of stationery no doubt that has been recycled because they are not wanting to use their own stationery;with a borrowed pen, because Mr Smyth will not have any when he has delivered his budget savings. Maybe you will get behind it, put your heads together, stop laughing at your own jokes and wasting the Assembly’s time, and actually proceed with the work that we have all committed to do as part of the resolution yesterday. And I am doing some work on top of that and then I am going to give it you, Mr Hanson, and you can do with it what you will.
Economy—recession
MR SMYTH: My question is to the Treasurer. Treasurer, in question time on Tuesday this week, in response to a question on the effects of the recession on the Canberra community, you said:
At the moment, I would be surprised if anyone, in a technical recession sense, is feeling the impact of the technical recession.
Treasurer, ACTCOSS, in a submission to the recent inquiry into the third appropriation bill, said that as a result of the financial crisis:
… people and families who have not previously sought support in financial counselling, housing or crisis services are turning to community organisations as they find it more difficult to cope.
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