Page 3038 - Week 08 - Thursday, 25 June 2009
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I think I was up to recommendation 20, which reads:
The Committee recommends that the ACT Government demonstrate appropriate responsibility and make the necessary fiscal policy decisions with respect to savings, revenue and associated matters.
As I said earlier, it is amazing that recommendations like this have to be made. It is absolutely amazing that the committee feels that these issues are not being adequately addressed by the government. If the committee has to make recommendations as fundamental as this, it does raise considerable concern, in my mind, about the state of the overall budget and the state of the managers of our economy.
I must admit I did have a bit of a chuckle earlier when I saw the planning minister sitting over there. He had my colleague from Ginninderra sitting with him and a colleague from Brindabella also sitting with him. The Chief Minister and the Treasurer and Deputy Chief Minister were sitting over there. I just wondered what they could have been talking about. I thought that, hopefully, Mr Hargreaves might come down as well and the four of them could have all chatted about the budget, the Treasurer and their future ambition, perhaps, and future plans for the Treasurer. I think they must have had some pretty interesting conversations about the budget, about the appropriations, and I wonder whether that particular faction actually agreed with all the aspects of the budget and the direction of the Labor Party.
I find it interesting to look back at what Mr Corbell, who has been here for some time, has said, particularly on issues like Tidbinbilla nature reserve. What did Mr Corbell say in 1997 about raising fees to go into the nature reserve? What did he say? He said it was a tax, it was a charge and it should have been included in the budget. Isn’t that right, Mr Corbell? Didn’t you say, in 1997, that it was wrong for Mr Humphries to not include rises in fees to go into the nature reserve in the budget? And what is happening today? Here we have the government pulling a swiftie on the last day of sitting. I think they have actually made a mistake. I have never heard of a tax or a charge being introduced on 1 August. That significant date in the financial calendar—1 August! But that is what is going to happen with respect to Tidbinbilla nature reserve.
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: It’s the birthday for horses.
MR COE: There you go: the birthday for horses.
Mrs Dunne: There are a lot of horses at Tidbinbilla.
MR COE: I am sure that, in the nature reserve, the horses will have their pride of place there. I do find it interesting to look at the Hansard for April or May of 1997 and see what Mr Corbell really thought. That takes me back to what I was saying earlier about the future and about the right faction or the left faction. What happened in cabinet when they were talking about the raising of fees or the reintroduction of fees for the Tidbinbilla nature park? Did Mr Corbell say, “Well, guys, I’m a bit compromised by this because 12 years ago I said something that might contradict what we’re saying now”? It will be interesting when, in nine or 10 years time, you can see the cabinet documents and see what Mr Corbell said.
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