Page 4516 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 14 October 2009
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have noted this in some of the budget submissions that have been put together, is that, instead of coming with large asks about additional resources, although there is a bit of that and that is to be expected, there is a general theme coming through about a plea to maintain current funding levels based on increased demand that those agencies are seeing.
We have a longer budget recovery strategy to allow for that flexibility. That is why we have taken the decision for a seven-year recovery, which I know the Liberal opposition are opposed to. The seven-year strategy was so that we can take our time to recover and to ameliorate some of the impacts of those decisions we will have to ultimately take about savings over a longer time rather than having to just resort to sharp and short shocks, which is what happened in the 2006 budget. We have learned lessons from that, where we did recover.
This job is bigger than that. Certainly the Liberals campaigned for years on the 2006 budget. In fact, I think they are still campaigning on it; they have not moved on from it. That was where we took decisions in a shorter time frame to deliver those savings, and we have learned from that. We have said: “We’re not going to do that. We are going to take seven years. We are going to have a long, hard look at areas where we think efficiencies can be made, and everything is on the table.”
That is why in the week celebrating Anti-Poverty Week I think it is a bit mean spirited of the Assembly not to commit to ensuring that assistance provided by community organisations to people who are living in poverty is exempted from the efficiency dividend measures as outlined in the budget at a one per cent levy, which was applied across government agencies. I believe the government agencies can find that without adversely affecting community organisations.
Amendment negatived.
Motion agreed to.
Adjournment
Motion (by Ms Gallagher) proposed:
That the Assembly do now adjourn.
Hospitals—Calvary Public Hospital and Clare Holland House
Courts and tribunals—appointments
MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (6.38): A couple of things that have happened today require some reflection. There has been some discussion amongst my colleagues about the performance of the Greens in particular in relation to a number of matters brought forward today. I wanted to reflect particularly on some of the things said by Ms Bresnan in relation to the sale of the Calvary hospital. I said in my remarks that it was quite clear that the Greens had made up their minds long ago about the sale of Calvary hospital, and Ms Bresnan seemed to take exception to that.
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