Page 93 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 15 February 2011
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MR SESELJA (Molonglo—Leader of the Opposition) (4.55): Again I think we have what is a fairly dismissive attitude demonstrated there by the minister: “It’s all okay.” No matter what the minister is talking about, whether it is the problems in health or whatever: “It’s all okay; there is nothing to see here”—until there is. And any fair analysis says that these are serious cost of living pressures.
Ms Gallagher touched on “we can’t control everything” No-one says you can control everything. But there are a number of cost of living pressures which the government either influences directly—it sets them, such as taxes and charges—or indirectly through policies that either put upward pressure or downward pressure on some of these prices. The government cannot walk away from that. It cannot walk away from its policies which are putting upward pressure on prices for families who are already struggling.
We can look at the ones that the government are directly responsible for. When you spend as recklessly as this government, you are going to have to recover it somewhere, and they slug people all over the place. Rates have gone up by 77 per cent since 2001. Is Katy Gallagher not responsible for that? Are the ACT Labor government not responsible for the fact that rates have gone up 77 per cent?
Mr Corbell: How much have wages and land values gone up?
MR SESELJA: Mr Corbell interjects. I will tell you that inflation has not gone up by 77 per cent.
Mr Corbell: How much have wages gone up?
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Mr Hargreaves): Order!
MR SESELJA: There are not many people whose wages have gone up by 77 per cent in nine years.
Mr Corbell: How much have property values gone up?
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Minister, please.
MR SESELJA: Apparently, according to Mr Corbell, it is okay.
Mr Hanson interjecting—
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Mr Hanson.
MR SESELJA: It is okay: 77 per cent, no big deal.
Mr Corbell interjecting—
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Order! Are people deaf? Mr Seselja has the floor.
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