Page 3188 - Week 07 - Thursday, 1 July 2010
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
you do not measure how effective a program has been, how can you report on something? (Second speaking period taken.)
The minister was asked about lessons learned from the $500,000 blow-out in the financial year 2008-09 Multicultural Festival. You would be aware of that one, Mr Assistant Speaker Hargreaves. We note that the recent festival did not have the same financial complications. It was an opportunity for the minister to get out and toot her horn, and she did. It is certainly telling that she was unable to articulate the lessons learned from the 2008-09 festival. In trying to explain what she did know, she confused the matter with the results of a satisfaction survey. They are quite different things, minister.
Mr Assistant Speaker, I again reiterate that this minister is currently managing two of the most people-centric portfolios in Multicultural Affairs and disability. Her focus, and the government’s focus, is on legacy building projects. It is on infrastructure that is costing outrageous amounts of money. The people who should be the focus of this government are being left behind.
I will take as an example a media release issued by the minister which boldly stated that the 2010-11 budget recognises the vital role of carers. It was announced that $424,000 over four years would be committed for a carers advocacy service. Yet it was quickly noted by disability stakeholders that this was an ACT election promise which initially promised approximately $800,000. Where is the remaining money? The truth is that government funding for elements such as welfare services for people with a disability and welfare services in general are decreasing in real terms.
When I talk about priorities, I talk about where those priorities are. It would be impossible for me not to deliver a speech on behalf of Mr Doszpot without mentioning the Grassby statue. Of all the statues and pieces of art in this town there is probably none that more symbolises the misdirected priorities of this government than the Grassby statue. The government spent, I think, $75,000 on a statue to try to applaud a Labor mate, to look after a Labor mate. Putting up a statue of its mate—where he sits every day—reminds the people of the ACT what this government’s priorities are. We saw just last week some money that was left over—the gross waste of money—from the $2.5 million that was being spent on public art. The Chief Minister is spending another $200,000-odd, I think, on another couple of statues for Labor mates in the parliamentary triangle. The arboretum is another. When you contrast those sorts of projects with the lack of funding and attention that this government is putting into both multicultural affairs and disabilities, the difference is profound.
Probably the clearest example of where this government is showing neglect is by putting the minister, Joy Burch, where she is. If you wanted a minister that was going to do the job effectively it would not be Joy Burch. This week has shown that quite clearly. The problem with this government is that it has simply run out of options. It is worth taking note of who this Labor government is and why Joy Burch is on the frontbench. It is quite simply that after Mr Hargreaves was removed from his job, she was the last one standing. She is now on the frontbench, warming that seat, because there is literally nobody else to do it. If we have got to a point where disability services in this town are being supervised and administered by someone that is simply
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video