Page 1935 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 6 May 2009
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We were looking ahead. We knew that the reforms would not work. We were looking ahead. We knew that the government did not have a handle on what they were doing. It is interesting to reflect, Mr Speaker.
The last point, paragraph (4), “condemns the Stanhope-Gallagher Government for its inability to respond effectively to the downturn in the ACT economy”. In December we had governments around this country—I remember Kevin Rudd’s quote: “We will throw the kitchen sink at this.” The Chief Minister and the Treasurer got out there and said that they were going to have a stimulus package. They were going to table it in the new year and the stimulus package would make things right.
But as the ability to stimulate unwound because of this government’s inability to have policies and the will to implement them, we went from a stimulus package to something that will not stimulate. Then it became a local initiatives package. And we were told this in the committee hearings. I asked the question: “When will we find out your strategy?” “You will have to wait for the budget.” Mr Speaker, I am sure that we will have more debate on the budget in the coming days, but we still do not see a strategy. There is no clear outline of what the government is doing.
The problem with all of this is that somebody gets to pay. The problem for the taxpayer is that they will pay for this; they will pay for the ineptitude, the lack of foresight and the lack of ability to deliver a diversified economy. In 2006 Chris Uhlmann wrote a superb article about where the ACT was. The Chief Minister was lucky enough to get an op ed into the Canberra Times op ed page saying, “It’s the lack of our diversified economic base.” For years he has been saying, “Woe is us; we don’t have a broad economic base.” No matter what you look at—what document you look at—what strategy they put in place or the outcomes of whatever it is that they have done, you still do not see a government that are interested in looking at developing our economic base.
You have to look at the crux of the response of the Stanhope-Gallagher government to the economic downturn; it is: do nothing. This is not something that has crept up on us. Four of the last six quarters in the ACT have been of negative growth—four of the last six. The economy could have slipped into deficit as early as—
Ms Gallagher: Four consecutive, Brendan? Four consecutive?
MR SMYTH: No, I said four out of six. You should listen much more closely, Treasurer. It is one of your problems. It is four out of six: it is negative growth, positive growth, negative growth, positive growth, negative growth, negative growth. Any two of those could have been—
Ms Gallagher: Coming off 10 per cent growth.
MR SMYTH: The Treasurer interjects “10 per cent”—(Time expired.)
MS GALLAGHER (Molonglo—Treasurer, Minister for Health, Minister for Community Services and Minister for Women) (10.17): Mr Speaker, I look forward to
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